An Empty Divide
by Nevara Alyss
Summary: Two lives are intertwined forever by violence in the heat of war. Set in an alternate ME reality. FemShep and Garrus fanfic. Strong language and violence and smut.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I've been listening to a lot of Metallica lately. This is another FemShepxGarrus story in an alternate reality. I'm still working on my first, but I needed to get this out of my head, it's cluttering the other chapters I got going on.**

**It's completely unrelated to the events of ME & ME2. Just the characters and places are used. Thanks for BioWare completely overloading my mind with literary ammunition!**

1438 Zulu 04.12.2183

A sandstorm was brewing off in the distance, the wall of sand swirled and loomed high into the air. Nevara could see it coming from the bluff she was standing on. Helyme was warmer than what she deemed acceptable. There was little to no shade for miles. Her helmet was cracked from a previous firefight with batarian drug runners. It seemed like an odd time to be doing anything like that in recent months. The place was a warzone.

Her team had been sent to maintain watch for any movement from turians and to report in if they saw anything. The First Contact War had been done and over with for years now, but in recent months relations between humans and turians had fallen apart do the attempted assassination of one of the Primarchs by an unknown human assailant.

She had wondered why they had sent her there in the first place. The latest recon reports hadn't said anything about turian fleets or scouts in the area. She just followed her orders from the brass at Arcturus like the good little soldier she was.

Nevara was alone now. Her squad was dead. There wasn't much else she could do about it. She turned around to see how far she'd walked since the morning before. Everything looked the same, sand and more sand. Even during the nights the temperatures from the day seemed to radiate off the ground.

_Nice work dumbass. This doesn't happen to officers. _

She took her helmet off and threw it. It rolled down the hill and slid to a stop. _Now is not the time for melodramatics._ She had to keep her wits about her for the sake of survival at the very least. Her armor was growing heavier with each passing second. She grabbed her canteen from her pack and took a sip of water. She metered it to make it last. Every drop was like liquid gold in this hellish wasteland. She licked her lips and continued to follow the path that her helmet went. She picked it up and put it back on.

Mirage after mirage passed over her eyes. Minutes felt like days and the dust storm was gaining ground. She knew she was going to have to find a place to stay for the night. She didn't want to get lost anymore than she already was, if it was possible to be anymore lost than that. The land had grown flat and her feet sank deeper into the sand.

_This is complete and utter bullshit. No trees, cacti, nothing, hell, I haven't even seen a rock yet._

Shepard made it to the next hill and looked around. Another hour or so, and the storm of dirt and sand would be on top of her. There was no more time for dicking around walking aimlessly. She scanned to the west and saw what looked like a mesa off in the distance. It could be a mirage, but hope was all she had. She was a survivor. She survived most anything that was thrown at her from the time she was a child. This should be nothing more than a walk in the park compared to her past.

She looked to the east to see if there was anything there. Nothing, but rolling hills that went well into the horizon.

"Well, I might as well attempt it. What have I got to lose?" She questioned herself adjusting her armor and pack to turn towards the potential safe haven.

_What have I got to lose? What the fuck kind of question is that? I could die._

Nevara shook the thought off and continued on her walk. She was at a fast clip trying to outrun the impending wind. It had picked up speed and the sand was starting to tick at her faceplate. In another half hour or so and she would be in the full brunt of it. It was a thought that filled her with dread, having heard of stories of Helyme's destructively long storms.

She continued at almost a full sprint when the ground began to tremble under her feet. It was a familiar shake from the earth. She had felt it before when she was younger on a separate mission. Another unit that had been killed under her command, it wasn't her fault though, the information was faulty and lacking at best, but they were dead none the less. She skidded to a stop, but it was too late. The rumbling from underneath became a growl about 30 yards away.

_Shit! Run, woman, run!_

Her legs wouldn't move. She was frozen as the thresher maw broke the ground. It turned towards her, tentacles and jaws open ready for attack. Its armor shined brightly in the afternoon sun.

_Go! Go, go, go, go, go! Go fucking damn it!_

She snapped back to reality and sprinted. She wasn't going to let the bastard eat her. _I'd rather get lost in the sandstorm._ She continued her dash across the nest faster than what her little legs could do. She was built for endurance, but exhaustion and dehydration had a dampening effect on her reflexes. She had almost made it to the edge of the thresher's domain, when a rock had tripped her up and she flew the rest of the way out. _Are you fucking serious? I finally see a rock and it screws me over._ She jumped to her feet and continued to run. She was so close to the walls of the mesa that she could see medium to large boulders lying around.

_Finally!_

She turned around to see if her predator was after her. In the blink of an eye it had reeled back and let loose a gob of acidic spit that splashed the ground near her. It sizzled in the dirt and splashed the greave on her right leg. It bubbled and ate its way through the armor in seconds and was working on devouring the second layer in short order. She didn't have time to remove it she'd take care of it when she was out of the immediate danger she was in. Another acid splash hit the ground behind her, spraying her backpack and eating it away faster than her armor.

Thermal clips, food, water, everything that she had started falling out all over the ground. She wasn't about to stop and pick them up; she had to keep going for the sake of going. She ran as far she could before the pain from the acid had finally hit her. She ran behind a boulder and slammed into the ground. She took her knife out of her belt and cut the straps on her greave and her second barrier in quick fashion. She looked at her shin red and raw from the digestive acids working its magic at eating her alive. Blood was oozing from the wound.

_Well that's bloody great! You're still going to be eaten even slower than if you'd just jumped into the damn things mouth. If this doesn't kill you, the infection, or starvation and dehydration will._

The ground shook once again and then there was complete and utter silence. Only the wind making its cry through the desert could be heard. She relaxed again keeping her senses sharp. How she hated it, the pain was intensified. It reverberated through her in shockwaves that were uncontrollable. She took her helmet off and vomited on the ground beside her. It was the last thing she needed to be doing. She heaved and gagged. Her muscles shook violently with each wretched purge. Tears were streaming down her face and she choked between jolts.

When there was nothing left to empty but bile she sat up and removed her gloves from her hand to wipe her mouth. The aftertaste was utterly nasty and lingered every time she swallowed. She removed her pack and pulled out an emergency pack of medi-gel, gauze and antiseptic. She wasn't going to make it into hiding in time if she was going to nurse her wounds right now, but the alternative to letting dirt and debris get into the wound seemed even worse.

The winds were almost at full force and visibility was almost at zero. Hot air wrapped around her as she tried to sterilize the wound. The sand was making it difficult to say the least. While her back was to the wind; she poured the stringent fluid over the wound. She yelled out as it bubbled and oozed. Blood dripped to the ground and made clods of mud that rolled away with the wind. When the initial shock ended and she could see the damage done clearly, she dosed it with medi-gel and gauzed it as fast as possible.

Even though combat medicine wasn't her strong suit, she had fixed herself to the best of her abilities. Given the situation she was in, if she survived the night, she'd be her own damn hero. She put her helmet on again and pulled her backpack around to see what was left. There was one medium sized metal box that couldn't quite fit through the hole in the pack. She looked inside: one canteen of water, a week's worth of field rations and two thermal clips still remained. Not much to work with, but at least it gave her a chance.

_It's better than I thought; worse than I feared. Let's drag out the impending doom a little longer._

She grinned at herself for being a pessimist. She was always called an optimist but the irony of it all made her laugh hysterically. She had always planned for the worst and hoped for the best, but this situation couldn't possibly get any worse than it already was. She collected her items and put her gloves back on.

"No atheists in foxholes, huh?" She chortled.

Facing down enemy battalions, thresher maws, slavers, mercenaries, turians, and batarians had put her in a truly cynical mood of late. She kept walking, letting her hand trace the walls of the mesa. The sky had grown dark with the dust thrown up into the air. Her bare calf burned from the abrasiveness of the environment. She was exhausted and she was hungry. She didn't know how much time had passed since the winds had picked up so drastically.

She didn't care at the moment. She just wanted to find shelter and bunker down for the night. She stumbled a few times along the way making her injuries throb all the more. When she reached the south facing wall of the mesa, she sat down again to rest her legs. The back of her leg was almost as raw as the front. There wasn't much she could do about it. For now, though, she was going to eat. She grabbed some food and sat in silence grinding down the sickening food that hit her stomach hard. She forced herself to keep it down and kept eating and sipping water. Dying of shock was low on her list of things to do.

Survival and trying to get a message back to Arcturus were top priorities right now. How she was going to accomplish it with what she had was beyond her, but she was willing to try, nonetheless. She brought up her omni-tool and scanned comm signals. Nothing but static on every band she checked. Towards the ends of hope, she tried one more time and finally she got a ping. It was stronger than what she thought it would be given the conditions, but she was happy regardless.

"What the hell? Who could be here? What could be here?" She questioned her results regardless of her glee.

She stood up with renewed spirit, or curiosity, she couldn't tell. It didn't matter. She followed the pinging until it was screaming into her head. The noise was echoing in her helmet and it had made it feel like her ears were bleeding. With the wind howling like it was, it needed to be that loud. She stopped and looked around and saw nothing. No ships, no people, no nothing. Just rocks, and scrub brush were around speckling the ground in a haphazard fashion.

_Idiot, you were chasing a ghost. You should have gone with your instincts on this one. _

"Fuck it all to hell! Damn it! Son of a bitch!" She yelled in disgust and exhaustion.

She sat down again to lean against the wall of rock and proceed with a maintenance check. When she leaned back to prop herself up she kept going till she was flat on her back looking up at what was a ceiling. _What the hell?_ She jumped up to her feet and drew her side arm in reflex. Her head was spinning from the quick jump to standing. It was dark and the thought of everything being a delusion was running at the forefront of her mind. Her eyes were trying to adjust to the lack of light. It was obvious though that night had fallen. It was pitch black out in the wasteland and even darker in this newly discovered hole in the wall. She lowered her weapon and took a step forward.

_Well I'll be damned, shelter._

She grabbed her pack and walked inside. Anything was better than being out in the elements. She took her helmet off and turned her flashlight on that was attached to her sidearm. The cave was deep and seemed to go on forever. The air was stale and cool; odd commodities for a place like this. She walked deeper in holding her gun away from her to see if anything was in here. She walked for several minutes and finally plopped down far enough down the way that it would take a few minutes to get to where she was. The air was pungent and refreshing in the same second. It was much better than breathing dirt outside. She shined her flashlight down the hallway; it seemed it snaked through the mesa itself.

If this was to be her home away from home for awhile, she wanted to know what was going on with this tunnel. It obviously wasn't natural. _Probably a stock area for the drug runners_. Her eyes were getting heavy the longer she sat. Her body refused to move from the spot it was in. She wasn't going to try and stay awake, she'd accomplished more than she thought she would, with a few minor setbacks along the way but it was a good day. She checked her omni-tool for the time: 0230 zulu time. She set the alarm to go off for 0700 and shut off the flashlight for the rest of the night.

* * *

0145 Zulu time 05.12.2183

"Sir, we have a problem. One of our listening posts is posting Signal Alpha 3." A youthful green-eyed turian called from his post. The red light flashed in a repetitive rhythm on his interface.

"Which one is it?" Commander Vakarian asked.

"Helyme, sir. Twenty klicks south from where the EA mining complex was." He responded.

During the first weeks of the fighting, most of the Alliance's complexes were destroyed by sat-strikes. It crippled the Alliance for some time, but they were recouping their losses quicker than they could be taken away.

"I didn't think anyone was using that post right now." The commander commented.

"How long would it take for us to get there?" A third turian asked. He never looked at the new recruit.

"About a day, sir."

"Is there anyone closer?" the third turian asked.

"No, we're the closest out here by 12 light years."

"Well, we have time, let's go take a look." Commander Vakarian muttered.

"It's probably nothing. Do you want to just relay it to one of the other ships? This is the second time we've had to go." The third turian interjected.

"This is our patrol route, lieutenant. If there is a problem, then we need to find out what it is. Do you want the enemy to find out about it?" The Commander Vakarian retorted. "Now set a course for Helyme."

"Aye Aye, sir." The young turian responded.

Commaner Vakarian got up and walked down a corridor to his quarters. His head was throbbing. Dealing with Lieutenant Gaeto was more than a taxing proposition. He was mouthy and always tried to undercut his commands. If he could kill him, he would. It would have been a good and bad example for the young recruit to see what happened when you argued with your commanding officer.

There wasn't much else to do, but wait till they got there. It was less than a day's flight in FTL. _It could be worse; they could have put me with the ground troops that were trying to take out the outlier colonies. _He had already gone through that already. It wasn't something that needed to be repeated in his lifetime_._ Not a fun idea. During the first waves of battle he was assigned to lead a small platoon to take out a small human colony. The name of it escaped him, but it didn't matter, it was a colony. Most of the men had left the colony for work that morning at the refinery not far from the town. Mostly women and children were left.

Their orders were to wipe the colony off the map. Kill anything that moved it didn't matter what it was. The attack was a cheap shot at humanity for their messed up attempt to try and take over their spots as defenders of Citadel Space. They were going to be corrected accordingly and this was the best way to get their point across. Their tactics had reminded him of batarian guerilla warfare. It was sickening and disheartening. He knew he had a job to do and he dared not say anything about it. He just did the job like he was told to do. It didn't help him feel any better about it and from then it was hard to sleep at night.

By the time they were done, bodies were strewn from one end of the colony to the other. The sidewalks and paths were flooded with the crimson red blood that flowed from the endless gunshot wounds. The last thing that was to be done was to destroy the refinery and get rid of that colony once and for all. He sent a small troop of people to the refinery with the orders to set the core into critical overload. The rest of them would meet them at the extraction point. Over the comm he heard that they were ready and that they would be there within five minutes. It was enough time to get back and a good distance away from the blast.

His eyes opened quickly panting at the recollection turned nightmare. He was sitting at his desk full of datapads stacked one on top of the other. _I must have dozed off. _He stood up and walked out of the room. He walked back to the cockpit still remembering everything from four months ago.

"How much time till we get there, private?" He asked.

The young turian jumped out of his chair and turned around to salute.

"Twelve hours till touchdown sir."

"Where's Lieutenant Gaeto? He's supposed to relieve you now."

"I don't know sir, he left shortly after you did."

"Thank you. Go get him, I'll take over for you until he gets here." The commander sat at the helm and clicked a few buttons on the interface. The private saluted again and walked out of the room.

An hour later, Gaeto came in. He was still sleepy and rubbing his eyes.

"Sorry Commander. I guess I overslept."

"You sure as hell did."

"I'm sorry sir, it won't happen again."

"You bet your ass you won't." He hissed. "You've got this shift until we touchdown you understand."

"Aye sir."

Commander Vakarian got off the helm controls and left the cockpit. There were plenty of reports that needed to be written about how completely uneventful their route was, except for this little pit stop. He hoped it was something more than some damn creature trying to create a den.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks for all the support I've been getting. I went back and did some rearranging the third section of the first part has now been moved to the second section. I've also added Nevara's day ahead of it so there is some continuity. Special thanks to my readers at the Garrus Love and Adoration thread. Enjoy!**

0700 Zulu Time 05.12.2183

Nevara stirred from sleep awoken by the annoyingly shrieking alarm emanating from her omni-tool. She opened her eyes and yawned. The dust storm was still belting the area at full force and she couldn't see anything past the entrance. She sat up and clicked her flashlight back on and checked her wounds. Her calf was sandblasted, but otherwise looked to be no worse than a bad sunburn. Her shin on the other hand was still oozing blood and plasma. She cleaned it up again and bandaged it up again. The pain had stopped a couple of hours before her awakening. _I don't know if this is a good sign, or not, but I need to get up. _It was an obvious idea, she couldn't just stay there. If she let herself stagnate there it could and probably would cause more injury.

She flashed her flashlight deeper down the tunnel it didn't look as long as it did the night before. Her curiosity was getting the better of her. She was excited with the idea of exploring a creepy tunnel. She grabbed her half eaten MRE from her pack and proceeded to limp down the path. Her legs were like jelly from muscle exhaustion. Eventually that passed and she kept going on eating as she went. _This food still sucks. I should have looked at what the hell it was first. _

It wasn't long before the light in front of her flashed back at her. She picked up the pace and entered a cool metallic area. Her boots on the platform made the metal underneath sing. She scanned the room looking all over the room. It was small and blank. She scanned the room again and noticed the floor led to a set of stairs that seemed to go well into the darkness. She held the handrail and took the first step of many down the winding stairs. The air was pleasant and cool. She took her gloves off and put them in her tattered pack. The metal was cold and it sent a shiver up her arm.

_Intriguing._

It took a few minutes to reach the bottom of the stairs. She swiveled her head up towards where she came from. It was a long walk made even longer by her injuries. She checked the clock on her omni-tool- _0745. _When she looked back to scan the area it had one other entrance. She shined her light down the hallway. _Great, another hallway_. She pointed her light around the area. Bulletin boards and maps lined the hallway. She stopped in front of one of the items and looked at it.

Nevara stared at it for what seemed like an eternity. Her eyes rolled over the foreign language and the answer hit her like a bolt of lightning. _It's turian. Fuck_. She raised her gun in defense. She had no idea if there was anyone here. She kept reading. From her officer training course and what she had learned during the fighting, she had picked up some of the language. She could tell there were times and names, but other than that, it was a jumbled mess. She turned away from the chart and kept walking looking at the placards on the doors. One by one she opened the doors; there were three bedrooms for common military personnel and one room for what seemed to be for the commanding officer.

Further down, there was a kitchen with MREs waiting in boxes. _I can't eat this._ _They have to have something I could use. _She opened box after box looking for anything that could be helpful in her survival. Eight boxes into her search, she found it. Crates of water bottles lined back to back swished back and forth when she took them down from the shelf.

Nevara kept going holding three of the water bottles close to her chest. She opened another door and it was a medical bay. It was small and the lights came on when she walked into the room. Glass cupboards lined the wall with various concoctions and drugs in them. There were some medi-gel packs in a drawer and she gladly appropriated them for herself. _Scavenging like a damn vorcha you are._ She was thrilled by her growing treasure trove. She walked back out and closed the door. Another door led to a small storage area. More food, some blankets, ammunition, it was a beautiful sight to behold. Even if she couldn't eat the food, she at least could refill her dwindling stores for when she attempted to make her way back to the downed shuttle.

There were some bathrooms, nothing remarkable about them. So she kept on moving to the last door at the end of the hallway facing her. She armed herself and opened the door. The room was larger than the others. She walked towards the middle of the room and looked around the four walls. Headsets were laid out on desks near control panels. She walked up to one and put half of the set next to her ear. She flipped a couple of switches and static came to her ears piercing them sharply within a second. She dropped the headset and fumbled with a couple of dials until the volume came down and the static stopped. It was a dead line. There was nothing going on and the silence was as loud as a bombardment from the skies.

She set the headset down and looked around the room again. A support beam was standing in the middle and generators stood in the far left of the room. She walked up to the closed off area and noticed the lock that gleamed back at her from the light. _Figures, nothing is ever simple, is it? _She grabbed a chair and sat in the middle of the room. Her head fell back and heat was pouring off her. She looked at her omni-tool again-_1730_. She unharnessed her breastplate and let it fall to the floor. It clanged in retaliation and went silent. She proceeded to take off her secondary barrier and let that fall on top of the chest plate. The air was cold and it made skin goose pimple. It was a glorious feeling.

She sat up in the chair and felt her forehead. It was hot to the touch and sweat poured from her. _A fever. Just when I thought things were going absolutely great. _She looked down at her shin and peeled back the bandage. It was oozing and the air made it sting horribly. She shivered hard and got up. She had to change the dressing again. She walked back to the med-bay and grabbed what looked to be an antiseptic spray.

"I hope no one comes here or I'm fucked." She grumbled under her breath as she sprayed the wound. The hissing sound from the canister was louder than what it usually would be. She closed her eyes till the biting pain faded away. When it ebbed she got up and looked for her pack that she'd dropped by the door. She grabbed her food and sat. The items were more palatable compared to the last one. She was cold and tired, but full and refreshed. She grabbed her armor and put it back on.

"You can never be too careful." She warned herself as she slipped the hard plate back on. She walked to the storage room and grabbed a pillow and blanket and proceeded to find a nice corner in the back of the room. As nice as the idea of sleeping in one of the beds sounded, it probably wasn't a good idea. Either way, she was boxed in but this gave her more wiggle room to defend with.

She laid out the blanket and pillow and shortly followed suit. She didn't look at her omni-tool to see what time it was, she was tired and she welcomed the sleep. Her eyes grew heavy till she couldn't keep them open anymore. She reached for her pistol and slid it under her pillow. _Just in case._

0015 Zulu 06.12.2183

A searing pain shot through Nevara's abdomen, followed by another and another. She tried to scramble to her feet but was kicked in the side that made her fall flat to the floor again.

"I said get up, human." Her translator picked up. She opened her eyes and looked up and saw a very large foreboding body looming over her.

"That's what I was doing until you kicked me." She prodded. She stood up and faced her assailant. The lights in the room were on now and it made everything blurry till her eyes adjusted. Her head was swimming and she went to shove whatever it was in her way so she could get past it.

A firm grip grabbed her by the wrist and it caused pain to shoot up to her elbow. She looked at the hand and went to wrench her arm way. When she tried to pull away, the response she got was a punch to the gut. The wind in her was gone and she gasped for air. Nothing seemed to enter her lungs. They burned every time she inhaled. She fell to her knees and looked up at her attacker with disdain.

"What are you doing here?" The voice asked.

"Oh you know, I was sleeping till you rudely interrupted me." Her voice was raspy but firm. She eyed the now known turian and smiled. His response to her was a knee to the face. She reeled back and shook off the blood that filled her mouth. She jumped to her feet again and went to hit him. Her perception was failing her in her now dizzying state. He dodged her easily and grabbed her by the hair and tossed her over a table. She skid on the floor and climbed to her feet again. She pulled her knife and lunged at him. It slashed across the heavy armor and flew out of her hand. The blade fell in two pieces and clanked to the floor.

"I'm not going to ask you again, what you are doing here?" The turian boomed.

"Like I said I was-" A punch landed square across her cheek and she spun around. Blood flew from her lips. She staggered back and looked at her hands. They were bloody.

A third voice entered the fray, younger than the first. "What'd you find?"

The first turian looked at the door and pointed at Nevara. "Go keep an eye out for the commander. I'm going to continue my fun here."

_Fun, huh. I'll show you a good time_.

She regained her balance and her adrenaline had taken hold. She remembered her hand-to-hand training and started slowly towards the turian. When he turned back to face her, she swung as hard as she could and hit the turian square in the jaw. He stumbled back a couple of steps but caught himself again. He rushed her hard and slammed her up against the wall, racking her skull against it with a thud. They were eye to eye with each other now. His piercing red eyes were dancing with delight at the torture he was inflicting on her.

"You'll pay for that in spades."

"I hope so, because you are one ugly motherfucker." She smiled. Her feet hung off the floor. _Damn being short. _

He dropped her to the floor and proceeded to continue kicking her. Each kick lifted her off the ground and the feeling of suffocation came over her. Nothing was safe from the assault. Her hands, face, legs, torso all took the beating. Her shin was bleeding and dripped to the floor. She closed her eyes. _Just stop, damn it just stop_. She never thought she'd ever hear those words echo in her mind. The pain weakened her and her mind was running out of ways to compensate. The kicking stopped again and was replaced by being dragged across the floor.

"Are you ready to tell me what I want to know?" The turian asked as he dropped her in the center of the room and leered at her.

"Go fuck yourself, turian." She defied him again. Her reward was a kick to the side again and the sound of her ribs crunching under the stress. "Come on, you want to fight dirty, be my guest." She choked as she got to her feet. She stared at him bruised and bloody. Her eyes darted from place to place.

"What did you say?" He asked. He heard her the first time but just wanted to make sure she had replied in such a way.

She looked him in the eyes and pointed at him "Go fuck yourself, turian!" She yelled at him.

"Fuck, me? I don't think so." He smacked her hand away and head butted her square in the forehead. She fell to the floor with a thud. She felt her brain slam into the back of her skull. Her eyes went black and she gapped like a fish out of water.

He resumed kicking her. He seemed to get the most fun out of doing it. She was fading in and out and felt herself being led around again. Finally her sickening journey ended at the feet of another very tall turian. She looked up at him and he looked down at her with very piercing blue eyes. He was looking her over but said nothing. He looked angry, but not at her. He just watched her and she smiled.

"What? You wanna go, too?" She sputtered. "Come on, this bitch hits like a girl." Her eyes were locked on his searching him for some response. Nothing came, he just stared. _Come on, shut up, you know they're going to kill you if you keep it up_. She kept watching. He was stoic, more perplexed by her than anything. Most people would have just given in and told them what they wanted. Not her though, she wasn't giving up anything. She smiled a faint smile and spit again as the first turian put a gun to her head.

She didn't look at him. She kept looking up; she hurt too much to move. Her eyes were fixated on the turian in front of her. "Why hesitate now? Do it. If you don't, when I get up, I'm going to kill you." She was half expecting the execution to happen with all the goading she'd put out there from the beginning. She felt the concussion to her head, and a starburst of light came into her eyes. Darkness shortly followed then nothing.

_It's about time; I didn't think he had the balls to do it._

* * *

2300 Zulu 05.12.2183

They made touchdown near the entrance to the listening station. It was a new moon and the remnants of the dust storm had flitted flakes of dust at Commander Vakarian's helmet. They looked around briefly to see if there were any signs of evidence that someone had been there. The storm had destroyed most of that the previous night. _It could be nothing. _He took a step towards the entrance and punched a code into his omni-tool. Floor lights lit up dimly lighting the path for them.

"Go in and look around. Radio back if you find anything. I'll be there shortly." Commander Vakarian ordered. He returned to the scout ship to get the diagnostic equipment and security codes to turn off the alarms. How he could forget something so mundane was beyond him. He just wanted to be off this planet as fast as possible and get on with his route. He uploaded schematics and subroutines into his omni-tool and headed down the dim tunnel with assault rifle ready if the need arose.

It was a long winding tunnel. The deeper in he went the cooler it got within. It was refreshing compared to the heat blasted wind outside. He took a deep breath in and caught an aroma that differed from what he was used to. It was pungent and tangy to his olfactory center. It was familiar to him and yet so very foreign at the same time. He couldn't place it but it stopped him for a second. He radioed ahead for a status report. Gaeto reported that they were still on the stairs and that they hadn't seen anything yet.

He continued walking for a minutes more. The earthy, dim path opened up into a room of steel that was just big enough for the stairwell and a light. The light wasn't much brighter than the path lights, but the reflections that it gave off shone down the stairwell to the bottom where they ended. He looked over the railing to the bottom where the floor was concrete and slashed with hash marks from the stairs. The stairs were narrow and his boots tinged the metal as he walked. It got cooler with every foot of descent and that odd aroma became more pungent the closer he got to the bottom.

To the left of the stairs there was a hallway. Not near as long as the entrance but definitely not short. The lights were much brighter and doors lined the hall. Most were living quarters, bathrooms, storage, maintenance, and a kitchen. He walked passed maps and codes used for encryption sequences. He was walking to the control room when he saw the young private standing in front of the door. There was definitely something going on behind the closed door. The private smiled and saluted.

"Sir, we found something you might find interesting."

"Why didn't you call me on the comm? Where's the lieutenant?"

"He told me he could deal with the problem himself. It was just a rat."

From behind the door he heard yelling and fighting. Things were being broken or thrown and it didn't sit well with him. _Pretty damn big rat_. He looked at the private again. The young man was smiling. He was enjoying what was going on._ He knows more than he's saying. _

"Are you going to move so I can go…"

From behind the door he heard an unfamiliar voice. It was filtered through his translator.

"Go fuck yourself, turian!" a female voice yelled. It was quickly followed by a gasp for air and a body hitting the floor.

He shoved the private out of the way and opened the door. What he saw set him back a bit. The room was in complete disarray. Blood droplets in various velocity patterns spattered the floor. He walked further in and saw Lieutenant Gaeto standing over something. He kicked at it repeatedly as hard as he could. With each impact the soft thud made the "rat" wretch.

"Fuck me? I don't think so." Lieutenant Gaeto responded. He kicked again and this time her body flew up of the floor and landed and rolled over so that her back was to him. He kneeled over her with a sadistic smile and grabbed a handful of hair. He pulled her up to her feet and led her over to Commander Vakarian and threw her at his feet. She crumpled to the floor spitting blood out with every exhale. She was breathing heavily and looked up at the tall turian.

"What? You wanna go too?" She taunted. "Come on this bitch hits like a girl." Blood dribbled down her chin as she spoke. Lieutenant Gaeto drew his gun and pointed it at her head. "Why hesitate now. Do it. If you don't, when I get up, I'm going to kill you myself."

Commander Vakarian stood there dumbfounded by her defiance. Her hazel eyes were on fire with hatred. He shook his head and let out a steady stream of air. He didn't like the look of this and there would be consequences for treating a POW the way that Gaeto had. Before he could open his mouth Gaeto cracked the side of his pistol against the side of her head splitting her scalp and sending her to the ground unconscious. Gaeto walked up to her and chuckled. "I guess not huh, bitch." He spat at her and walked back to Commander Vakarian and saluted.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" Commander Vakarian bellowed.

"Securing the prisoner in case you wanted to interrogate it yourself sir."

"Really? That's not what it looked like to me. I told you to report to me if you found anything. You didn't follow my orders." He was fuming now. "I gave you specific instructions and you defied them. Get the fuck out of this room before I kill you myself. Now!"

"But sir, it's just a human. Why give it any consideration at all? I should have just shot it on sight."

"I said out you insubordinate asshole. _She_ has to be dealt with and questioned not euthanized. Grab your gear and find a place till I come and talk to you."

"But-"

Commander Vakarian glared at him and took a step towards him. He was more than willing to kill him now. He knew he was going to have to report this to his superiors when they got back to the vessel. Gaeto took a step back and looked at the crumpled mass on the floor. Blood dripped to the floor in a small pool. He grabbed his gear and headed out to one of the living quarters. The private stood for a second, shocked at the violence that had taken place in confined space. Commander Vakarian eyed him and nodded his head in the direction of the living quarters. The private nodded and walked away.

Alone with his thoughts he examined the room. Desks were turned over. Chairs were broken and splintered. Lights flickered randomly from different panels around the room. That smell he couldn't place minutes ago came back with a flash- _human blood. _It was splattered all of the room, no surface was clean of it. Finally his eyes fell to the lump of flesh on the floor. He walked over to it and bent down to scan for vital signs. They were faint but steady. Her red hair covered her face and was sticky with blood.

He grabbed some gloves from the first aid kit he had and grabbed her by the wrist. He dragged her over to a pipe in the middle of the room and cuffed her to it. Her lightly armored body laid there motionless on the floor. He rolled her on to her back to see how bad the damage was in an attempt to stabilize her. She needed to be alive if he was going to question her later. He looked her over scanning the remnants of her beating. _Damn._ He grabbed gauze and bandages and began to clean her up. Her face was swollen and bruised her. Her skin was pale and damp with sweat. He needed to get her out of the armor and check for any other injuries and take care of them.

He was gentle when removing the pieces of her armor. He wasn't willing to wake her and fight her in the condition she was in. He lifted her shirt to her chest and looked at the bruising of her ribs. He scanned her torso. No internal injuries but a couple of broken ribs. He pulled the thin layer of cloth back down and wrapped her ribs from armpits to mid-waist. He put her back down and continued looking her over. He saw that her right leg was bandaged and blood was seeping through it. It was almost completely saturated. He cut the gauze away and cleaned it with care. When she moaned, he stopped and watched to make sure she wasn't waking up. When the blood had been cleared away he noticed that it was an acid burn. An infected acid burn but it would heal once he changed the bandage. He put a large dose of medi-gel on the wound and gauzed it.

When he realized there wasn't much else to do, but check on her every couple of hours, he left the room and shut the door.


	3. Chapter 3

Unknown time, unknown date

_I'm not dead?_

A haze filled Nevara's head as she opened her eyes. The room was dark and she couldn't see anything. There were no lights. The panels didn't flicker and the only noise she heard was from the generators that were now on. A breeze came out of nowhere and she shivered. She put her hand on her stomach and felt the bandages on her. _No armor. _Her tank top and panties were all she was wearing as protection from the chill. She turned her head around to see if she could see anything now that her eyes were adjusting to the darkness. Her head throbbed excruciatingly.

She tried to sit up but the pain stopped her. She resumed laying back down and pushed up on to her hands before making the final push to fully sitting. She raised her hands to her head to feel the wrapping around her skull. Her hand only got half way up before she realized she was cuffed. _Fucking turians. _She felt around the floor with her unbound hand to see what she had around her. There was nothing but concrete. She felt for what she was bound to and climbed up the pipe restraining her. She winced every inch of the way till she was standing up. She held the pole, pipe, whatever it was and circled around it. She was chained to it like a dog.

She sighed heavily for being foolish. She didn't have her omni-tool, she had no idea how much time had passed but she had the distinct feeling that she wasn't alone in the darkness.

"I know you're here. Let's quit playing games." She demanded of the pitch black darkness.

She stopped moving and strained to hear over the droning of the generators. Something was there definitely, but she couldn't place it.

"Damn it! Show yourself! What do you want?" She implored waiting for an answer.

A voice came from to the left, out of the void but she couldn't understand it. It was in turian, she knew that for certain, but what was being said, made her stop. It was gravelly and harsh. It was a rare occurrence to hear the language but it wasn't going to help her right now.

"What? I don't understand. My translator isn't working." She felt completely naked now, knowing that there was someone watching her from the dark. Before she could say anything else, the glow of an omni-tool burned a corner of the dark away for a second, and then flickered back out.

"I wasn't playing games. I was sleeping." The voice over the translator told her. It was stern but relaxed. She turned in the direction she had seen the light emanate from. Through the dark she saw the faint glow of a heads up display flickering on. It projected a dim light out and only silhouetted the figure sitting in the chair against the wall.

"What do you want? Why are you in here?"

"You don't get to ask questions. That's my job." The voice grumbled back. The floating eye piece moved now and was coming towards her. The sound of her captor's boots thudded one after another on the concrete and stopped no more than a foot in front of her. "How are you feeling?"

"Is that any of your concern? I don't need your false diligence." She reached out to push him back, but her hand was smacked away

"If it wasn't for me, you'd be dead now. I think you owe me a little bit of respect don't you think?"

"Sure. Thanks for saving me, turian. I don't know where I'd be without you now. How could I ever repay you?" She was condescending at best and biting in her words.

"Do you really have to be so obstreperous?" He questioned.

"Well, yeah. Yeah, I do." She grinned into the darkness.

She could hear his breathing quicken and she knew he was getting angry. She closed her eyes tightly expecting to be thrashed like the other turian did. She had never felt fear quite like this before. She'd endured great physical pain, but this was taken to a whole new level. Her breathing quickened and she waited awhile in the silence.

The sound of boots scuffing away gave her little comfort in the dark. The door opened and the light poured in blinding her. The shadowy figure of the turian walked towards the door. He looked back at her again and closed the door locking it behind him.

She was alone again in the darkness with her thoughts to keep her together. She slid down the pole and sat there, pondering what he had planned for her. She didn't want to know what was coming around the bend but she knew something bad was going to happen. It was only a matter of time.

Her body was aching from shivering from the cold. She closed her eyes and dozed off until the sound of the door opened again. _Oh, here it comes._ She opened her eyes and looked in the door and there he stood again looking at her. His arms were full, a pillow on the pile of various items. He walked over to her and set them down beside her. She looked up at him while he was kneeled there. _What do you want?_ She looked at the little parcel of items and looked back at him questioning him without saying a word.

"I brought you some food and water. There's a pillow and blanket and Private Trezon went back to your shuttle to get some BDUs. Oh before I forget-" He clicked on and off her flashlight. "Just in case you need it."

_Need it for what? It's not like I can do anything chained like a varren. _She nodded at him without saying a word. She looked at the items laid out before her. He got up and started towards the door.

"Thank you." She whispered. She couldn't understand why she was doing it, but something compelled her to do so.

"I'll be back later, maybe then; we can start where we left off."

He continued through the door and turned around again. She looked at him and cocked her head, still confused by what had happened. With that, he closed the door and locked it again.

* * *

0100 06.12.2183

Commander Vakarian looked at the bloody gloves on his hands and removed them. His armor was speckled with the diluted drops of blood from the newly found prisoner. He dropped the armor off in the commander's quarters and went to the last door nearest the stairs. He didn't know what he was going to do, or what he was going to say, but something needed to be done. Things had to be made right in that moment, otherwise things were just going to keep on escalating. He didn't bother knocking he just walked in.

Lieutenat Gaeto was asleep in the bed with his back to the door. His armor was resting in a chair near the door and his weapons were lying on the desk. He closed the door and walked to the next room. Private Trezon was still awake reading something from a datapad. When he saw the commander at his door, he jumped out of bed and saluted. Commander Vakarian waved him off and came into the room.

"I need you to tell me everything that happened."

The young turian looked at the floor, ashamed to make eye contact with him. He let out an exaggerated sigh and scratched the back of his head.

"I don't know where to begin." He let out another sigh trying to compose his thoughts.

"Just start from where you two entered the main room." He urged.

"Well, we began by searching the room. We didn't notice anything at first. We both thought it was going to end up being a false alarm; until we heard a moan coming from the corner of the room." He stopped for a second and then started back up. "The lieutenant flashed his light on her, I guess. I couldn't tell really. He told me to leave and that he'd deal with the problem himself." He paused again. "I didn't know what to do. I panicked I guess. I waited outside the door till you got there."

"Why didn't you tell me over the comm?

"Because sir, he was on the same channel. I had no idea he was going to beat her like that."

"Then why did it look like you were enjoying what was going on?"

"If that's how it seemed sir, that's not how I wanted it to be represented. Maybe nerves sir."

Commander Vakarian nodded at the young private. "Alright. I have to take care of something then."

He walked out of the room and went back next door to where the lieutenant was sleeping. He snuck in as quietly as he could and took his armor out to the storage room. He returned and grabbed the lieutenant's guns and put them in the storage area too. He put a lock on the door and encrypted it. He walked back to the door and drew his sidearm and again walked into the room. He drew down on him and proceeded to load a round into the chamber.

The noise made the lieutenant stir and roll over. He blinked a couple of times and reached for his own gun. Of course, there was nothing there. Commander Vakarian pointed the gun at the lieutenant's head. _One squeeze and this could all be over._ He pointed the gun then at the pillow right next to Gaeto's head and squeezed the trigger. The round hit the pillow and Gaeto jumped out of bed.

"Sit. Now." The commander demanded.

"Sir?" Gaeto was perplexed but sat anyways.

"I don't know what kind of shit you are pulling here. As a matter of fact, I don't want to know. This little event that you pulled tonight is the most fucked up thing I've ever seen from someone under my command."

He was still pointing the gun at him. He so badly wanted to kill him. The dumb looks he was getting, were enough to make him want to take him and put him out of his misery_. Say something stupid. Give me a reason to beat you within an inch of your life._

"Commander, what do you want me to say? If she'd just answered the question and shut up she wouldn't be laid out all over that floor. If I had to do it over again, would I? Absolutely. She's the enemy, sir, and we're at war."

"Don't give me that we're at war bullshit, lieutenant. I know we're at war. You nearly beat her to death. Do you know how to talk to a dead person, because I sure as hell don't?"

"Commander, I just don't like the idea of someone coming in here and doing whatever they want. If I see her again, I will not hesitate to kill her this time."

"Okay, fine." He pointed the gun at Gaeto's head and just before he pulled the trigger he moved the gun to the right of him and fired. The bullet grazed the side of Gaeto's head causing a spurt of blood to come out. Gaeto screamed out and put his hand to his face. The blue blood oozed between his fingers. "That was a warning, lieutenant. If I see you near that room again, I will kill you."

Commander Vakarian walked out of the room and back down the hall. _I don't know what I'm going to do with her. _He went into the commander's quarters and grabbed the human's omni-tool. He punched a few buttons and started an uplink with his own omni-tool. Flight reports, scouting reports, the frequency to her translator; it all went onto his omni-tool. He dropped her omni-tool into a drawer. He got up from the desk and left the room.

He walked into the comm room and walked over to the generators. He unlocked the lock and went over to a switch on the far side to turn them on. The slow hum filled the quiet room. He looked over at the sprawled out body and listened to see if she was breathing. The slow exhale and fall from her chest gave him his answer. He grabbed one of the only chairs that worked and sat in the far corner. It had been a long night for all of them.

He turned off his display and closed his eyes. The generator hum and the little human sleeping sounded like a nocturne.

0700 06.12.2183

A metallic click made Commander Vakarian stir. He opened his eyes and let them fill with the all encompassing black. _It's nothing but her adjusting._ He closed his eyes again and let out a sigh. Not a second later he heard a voice calling from the dark.

"I know you're in here. Let's quit playing games."

He shifted his weight in the chair and waited.

"Damn it! Show yourself! What do you want?"

"I wasn't playing games. I was sleeping." He stated in his defense. _Real good there, man. Go ahead and creep the human out more than she already is._

"What? I don't understand. My translator isn't working." She spoke more confused than ever this time.

_Crap, forgot to turn the damn thing on. _He dialed in her frequency and repeated himself with more clarity.

"I wasn't playing games. I was sleeping." He was short in his explanation to her. He didn't need to explain himself to her. He turned on his display since it was obvious he wasn't going to be going back to sleep anytime soon.

"What do you want? Why are you in here?" Her voice trembled when she asked.

"You don't get to ask questions. That's my job." He growled back. He stood up and moved towards her. His HUD lit her up in an eerie creamy white. He was in arms reach when he finally asked, "How are you feeling?"

"Is that any of your concern? I don't need your false diligence." She put her hand up in his direction and he smacked it away. She wasn't going to be allowed that option.

"If it wasn't for me, you'd be dead now. I think you owe me a little bit of respect don't you think?" He posed to her.

"Sure. Thanks for saving me, turian. I don't know where I'd be without you now. How could I ever repay you?" She was snide and her platitudes were rubbing him the wrong way. _Spirits, is she going to be this bitchy the entire time?_

"Do you really have to be so obstreperous?" He questioned.

"Well, yeah. Yeah, I do." She grinned into the darkness.

He was at his breaking point with her. His heart was racing and thundered in his ears. He was growing hot and he stood there in silence analyzing the situation before he made his next move. _Just leave, it's the best option for right now._

He turned around and walked to the door. When he opened it he looked back at her at a complete loss for words. He walked through the threshold and closed the door.

He opened the door to Private Trezon's room and stuck his head in. "Take the ship and find the human vessel. I want you to go aboard and grab food and a change of clothes for her."

"Aye, aye, sir. Um sir, may I ask why?"

"No, you may not; just do it."

He unlocked the storage area and walked in. He scanned the shelves looking for items he could use. He grabbed a pillow and a blanket. He knew it was cold in there and she was barely wearing anything. He walked to his room and dumped her pack out over the bed. He grabbed an MRE and water and set it aside. He went over to her weapons and wrenched the flashlight off her sidearm. He stacked everything up and walked back to the communications room.

He opened the door and peered in. The little prisoner was looking at him with an accusatory look. The light fell around him and hit her body and it accentuated the curves of her form. He stepped into the room adjusting the items in his arms. He crossed the room to her and kneeled down next to her. He put the items down near her. When he was done setting the little package up he looked at her and she was staring at him. Their eyes locked and it sent a jolt of energy through him. As quickly as it started, it ended just as abruptly. She was looking at the items scanning them for any pertinent value.

"I brought you some food and water. There's a pillow and blanket and Private Trezon went back to your shuttle to get some BDUs. Oh, before I forget-" He clicked on and off her flashlight. "Just in case you need it." _You know you're an imbecile right? _

She nodded at him without saying a word. He got up and started towards the door.

"Thank you." It was faint almost like a squeak. It made him turn around and look down at her again.

"I'll be back later, maybe then; we can start where we left off."

She was staring up at him confused by the gesture. He turned around again and walked out the door. He locked it afterwards and went to the kitchen.

_If nothing it's to keep that jackass out. Why are you protecting her really? He was right about a few things. Don't get all wrapped up in the politics or emotions of war. We all have to do what we don't like when someone else is pulling the strings._


	4. Chapter 4

Unknown time, unknown date

Nevara was lying on her blanket and staring up at the circle of light on the ceiling. She couldn't tell how much time had passed or even if it really mattered. Occasionally the turian she'd talked to before would come in and check on her. Everything was done in silence. She had been without the bandages for what could have been a couple of days and she was longing for a shower. Her hair caked with her blood, had started to smell and it pulled at her scalp when she furrowed her brow. The jump suit they brought to her had been beside her folded neatly. Her combat boots were set on top of them. She didn't know when they brought them in, but there they were shining faintly in the glow of the torch she held.

It was lonely in the dark shackled space she was in. She worked her cuff around her wrist trying to find a way to get it off. She needed out and she needed out now. Familiar thoughts from when she was a teen, to her command position, to every other dangerous assignment she'd ever been handed. The 'ultimate survivor', they called her back home. _The ultimate failure, I can't even die correctly. Death would be preferable compared to being the pet to, from what I can tell, three turians. _She closed her eyes again. Her eyes welled with tears. _Don't cry. Don't cry. For fuck's sake, don't cry. _Her frustrations pent up within her on the verge of explosion when the door opened. She lifted her head to see who it was. It wasn't the rat bastard turian trying to buy her into submission. It was the asshole one that had, in retrospect, handed her ass to her. _Like things couldn't get any more fucking worse._

"What the fuck do you want?" She jumped to her feet and squared off with him_. What little that's going to do. It's not like you can really get anywhere. _He stood there looking her over a sneer crept over his face.

"You're feisty. But that's not why I came here." He took a step into the room. "Commander Vakarian wants to take you out of the room; he says you need to be let out for a bit."

"Really, now?" She smirked. "That's an awfully dumb thing, don't you think?" She leaned on the pole restraining her. _He's up to something. No commander I've ever met just lets a prisoner out for exercise. Let alone a turian commander._

"I will agree with you in that fact, human." He nodded. He walked over to her and unbound her wrist. She rubbed it feverishly and looked back at the turian standing near her. His eyes were empty but for a spark of excitement that dotted his eyes every few seconds. "Get dressed." He ordered. He turned and headed back for the door.

"One last thing though, why isn't he letting me loose? Why you?" She asked.

He looked over his shoulder and with an evil expression replied, "He's up at the shuttle sending reports to the military." He closed the door behind him leaving her in the dark again. She grabbed her suit and put it on. She tied the arms around her waist and made makeshift pants out of them. She grabbed her boots and slid her feet in them. They were stiff and awkward without socks on. She stood up and looked around. She felt through the pockets and found a box in the side pocket. She pulled it out and there stood two cigarettes and a lighter. _Wrong clothes there, guys._ They had belonged to one of the soldiers that were assigned to her.

She stuck the pack in her pocket again as a memento and walked to the door. When it opened, there stood the turian asshole looking at her. She stood there for a second at a loss for words- _there's something off about him._ She looked to the right of him and there was another one lying on the floor. _Shit! _The blood pooled around the mass on the floor, she couldn't tell which one it was, and all she knew was that this idiot was still alive. He stepped to her right. She hesitated, not knowing what the next course of action would be. _If he shot one of his own, then he sure as hell is more than willing to shoot me._ He grabbed her by the shirt and threw her out of the doorway. She fell to her knees landing in the pool of blood. It splashed at her. Sprinkles of it landed on her face and clothes. Her knees were saturated in the blue inky fluid. Her hands were painted in it. She looked back at him and he was pointing a gun at her.

"Run. I'll even give you a head start." He goaded her, smiling at her with a disgusting grin, as he shot at her feet.

She jumped up and sprinted towards the stairs. From behind her she heard the turian barking of her escape and that Private Trezon was dead. He fired three shots in rapid succession. She rounded the first platform, her heart pounding in her throat. _I'm going to be boxed in, regardless._ Her boots pounded the metal steps like thunder. Two more shots came up from below her. She turned her head as she ran to see where he was. He was on the platform below her. The sound of the gun going off reverberated off the walls and rang in her ears.

She reached the top floor and ran down the tunnel towards the entrance. Two bullets came towards her and whizzed by her head swishing her hair in front of her face. The closer she got to the entrance the more it felt like she was running into an oven. The echo from the turian's footsteps behind her proved how close he was getting to catching up. She broke the threshold of the tunnel and skid in the dirt almost falling on her ass, but her hand caught her fall. She pushed herself up and ran to the right back in the direction she had come from when she had the run in with the thresher maw.

More shots were fired at her. One foot fall became two sets within seconds. She hid behind some boulders to catch her breath. _Fuck. What am I going to do? _She was panting in exhaustion. Her lungs screamed when she inhaled. The air was hot and sticky and she was sweating profusely. She wiped her forehead with her forearm. _The turians are getting close I know it. Well, there is only one thing to do, go out fighting._ She knew she couldn't take out both of them, but a few good licks would be pleasurable to say the least. She listened furtively for how close they were getting. When they neared, she stuck her foot out and tripped up the one closest to her.

The turian flew to the ground and rolled over to point his gun at her. She kicked the gun out of his hand making it discharge and skimming her arm. Adrenaline pumped through her, she felt nothing. She hated them, every single one of them. She jumped on him punching him repeatedly over and over again. She was hitting him so hard and so fast that blood came splashing from out of his mouth. "I told you, I was going to kill you if I got the chance." She sneered at him. He rolled her on to her back and proceeded to hit her in retaliation. His blood dripped on her skin sliding into the ever present red of her own.

"I don't think so." He jabbed his knee it her ribs and proceeded to grab for the gun. She kneed at him and thrashed. Some hits landed their marks; others didn't, causing her knuckles to bleed. She bucked him hard so that he went off balance. He landed on his side, but she was now free of his weight. He grabbed her ankle just before she could get to it. She turned around and kicked him in the jaw, but over compensated and fell twisting her ankle in the process. He crawled over her pushing her face into the sand. It was impossible to breath. Mouthfuls of sand caused her to choke. The grit of it scrathed her eyes. Nevara's vision started to go black. Her near paralysis ended when the second turian had arrived and pulled the first off of her. She scrambled to her feet and grabbed the gun and pointed it both of them taking a couple of steps back.

Commander Vakarian was staring at both of them. He pointed his assault rifle at her and he watched her. She was breathing heavily still. The corners of her mouth were caked with blood and dirt, a slow drip of blood fell down her nose. The turian standing near Commander Vakarian drew his sidearm and pointed his weapon at her.

"Put down your weapon, now, or I will shoot." He ordered to her.

"Screw you." Her eyes were trained on Commander Vakarian now. "This fucker is trying to kill me." She pointed the gun at the other turian.

"I said put the gun down. No one is going to hurt you." He started to lower his weapon.

"Bullshit. He's been trying to kill me for days now at least. I'm sorry, but one of us or all of us is going to end up dead today." She took another couple steps backwards, never taking her eyes of the two turians.

"Sir, let's just end this. We don't need her really, do we?" The turian asked.

"They want her alive."

"Well then if it's not going to be me to die today…" She fired three shots at the turian hitting him in the legs. She turned to run and rapid fire stopped her again.

"I said stop." Bellowed Commander Vakarian's voice. Followed by a single gunshot.

Commander Vakarian let out a roar and fell to the ground holding his side. She looked at the turian assassin. He was holding the gun towards her. _Better late than never. No time like the present. _Cliches filled her mind in one second. Everything she'd ever lost, everyone she'd lost, loved, hated, came out in one explosion of gunfire. She fired at him reiterating how much she hated him. She fired and walked focused on each round and its final destination. Hitting him in the shoulders and chest till his arm fell. She walked up to him to finish him off. She stood over him and watched. He was drowning in blood. He spat it up into the air as he gagged. His eyes were glassy and she kicked the gun out of his hand. She didn't smile, as much as she wanted to, she couldn't bring herself to do it. She bent over him and eyed him carefully. She licked away some of the blood and spit it back in him.

"I told you, I'd get you in the end, you son of a bitch." She pointed the gun at him and pumped two more rounds into his chest. He flinched once and let out the death gasp she'd been longing to hear since this whole fiasco started.

She looked at Commander Vakarian. He was awake and trying to get up. She held out her hand to help him up. He accepted and tried to pull himself up. He was too heavy for her to hold with one arm. She fell forward on top of him. She pushed off his chest and looked at him.

"Come on; let's go you need to get up."

"I can't with you laying on top of me, Commander." He smirked and winced as he let out a chuckle.

"Commander? How do you-? Nevermind, we'll deal with that later." She shook her head and got up. She dusted the sand from her hands and waited for him to get up. She looked at the dead turian on the ground and looked back at the turian leaned over in front of her. They were just about eye to eye with each other now.

She threw his arm over her shoulder for support and they started the long walk back to the post. Neither one said a word to each other the whole way back. The silence for the first time was exactly what she needed. Her mind raced for reasons as to how he knew her. Why he'd let her live. Why he didn't stop her when she killed the turian. She couldn't understand it.

He was almost impossible to carry by the time they got to the bottom of the stairs. Her back was screaming, her legs were moments from giving way. She walked to the back room and dropped him in the middle room. _Eye for an eye. Sorry._ She grabbed the open cuff and latched it around the now unconscious turian's wrist. She looked at him in the dim light and walked to the door. She switched on the light and walked back and sat down. _How the hell am I going to get this off?_ She pulled at the armor that encompassed his torso. _No hinges. It's one solid piece. I was right nothing can ever be just easy. _She unlatched the cuff and let his arm fall. She took off his gloves, bracers, shoulder guards, and omni-tool. She threw them at the door. Each piece clanked on the floor as she tossed them. She stood up and paced the room sizing up the task ahead of her. _Wake him up, maybe? No. Find a can opener? Obviously, not. Gonna have to do it the hard way._

She sat on the floor at his head and pulled. The dead weight wouldn't give way an inch. She yanked again and the turian opened his eyes and looked at her. She jumped back and scurried to her feet.

"Having a problem?" He asked sitting up on his elbows.

"I thought you were out? And yes I am, to be honest." She replied crossing her arms.

"Checking on me?"

"You could say that."

"Are you always this vague?"

"When the moment strikes me." She smirked in response.

He sighed and looked at her. He pulled the armor off with ease and sat it next to him. He looked back at her and sighed again as he laid down on the floor.

"Alright then, this shouldn't be too hard." She sat down next to him and grabbed his wrist. He lifted his head in protest. She clicked the cuff back on. "For my protection, I assure you."

She looked at the entrance wound through the side of his body suit and out near the front. She stood up and walked out of the room and went into the medical bay. She grabbed scissors, hemostats, and a suture kit. She walked back into the room and turned on the light. She made her way back to the turian who was watching her all the way back to him.

"What do you got there?" He asked.

"Oh, you know, a little of this and a little of that. Now hold still." She told him as her eyes narrowed across his waist. She took the scissors and cut away his bodysuit. Well it was obvious at first glance it was a through and through. She bit her bottom lip in concentration. It doesn't really look that bad. She got up again and looked at him. "Where's my omni-tool?"

"In the drawer in my room."

She walked into the room and looked through the drawers. She grabbed it and jogged back to Commander Vakarian. She scanned his midsection. _No injuries. No nothing. Just a flesh wound. _"You know you're lucky." She told him. "It just went through the skin between your plates. I can stitch that up." She grabbed the needle and thread and started the slow process of stitching him back together. She looked at him to see if he was okay. He was just fine, asleep, but fine.

She grabbed the items and walked for the door. She checked him one last time before turning off the light and closing the door making sure to lock it behind her. She was going to have more fun with him then she thought she ever could.

* * *

1245 Zulu 09.12.2183

Commander Vakarian sat at the ship's comm systems uploading file after file to the interface. The sun blared down through the open door. There was no wind and everything was still. It had been five days since they touched down in the dustbowl that was Helyme. When he was done transmitting the files an _all complete_ signal came up on the screen. He'd been feeding lines to the turian military about why they hadn't left. His answers seemed acceptable. _Saw Alliance ship. Fought and destroyed enemy vessel. Making repairs. Will resume patrol in one week._

He sat for a few minutes kicking his feet out in front of him waiting for a response from the brass. A beep from the display signaled that they were in touch. He fed them the usual lines and that they were nearing completion on repairs.

"Is there any need for assistance?"

"No, we've got one person manning the post and the other is helping me make repairs."

"We expect your next report in two days then. Good work Commander Vakarian."

"Thank you, sir."

He sat again and waited for another communiqué that was due to be arriving in a few minutes. He peered outside. It was barren and inhospitable. _This planet is more than willing to kill a person if it wanted to._

Everything was working out the way he planned-_for the most part_. Another alarm blared from the console. He sat back down and tapped the screen.

"So you have her then?

"Yeah, I got her. She's more stubborn than I thought."

"She's an Alliance officer, one of the best. What did you expect?"

"I've made others scream with less effort."

"What about Lieutenant Gaeto?"

"Just the one incident so far. She's pretty well healed. I should be able to send her back to the Alliance in another day or so."

"It was lucky that you found her, alive that is and alone."

"I know sir, damn lucky."

"Good work, officer. You've done us proud."

"You're welcome, sir."

He clicked the panel again and shook his head. Playing both sides of the fence was hard work. He rubbed his eyes of the strain and got up to leave. Over the comm, he heard Lieutenant Gaeto call.

"The prisoner has escaped! Private Trezon is dead! Come on Commander, respond!"

_You've got to be kidding me. I thought my day was going just swell._

"I repeat-"

"Yeah I've got you. What's your status?"

"I've got her running up the stairs."

Commander Vakarian grabbed his assault rifle and made for the bend and saw Nevara running out the entrance followed quickly by Lieutenant Gaeto firing all the while. He ran up next to him keeping in pace with the both of them. When they rounded the next corner, she was gone. They stopped a second and scanned the terrain. There was nothing there. Lieutenant Gaeto ran a little ways and tripped. _Hmph. Idiot. _No sooner had he decided to make his move a shot rang out, and Nevara was on top of Gaeto.

She was swinging wildly hitting the turian under her repeatedly. Her fist came down on the turian till her knuckles were bloody. Everytime she pulled back more blood would fly off her fist and hit his armor. He took a step back and let her get her retaliation for the fucked up assault perpetrated on her. The tussle kept building, each combatant was trying to one up the other for control. Gaeto was thrown off and Nevara went to grab for the gun, but was quickly grabbed at. She kicked and fell. Gaeto was getting the better of her and she was starting to make mistakes. _She can't keep it up too much longer; guess I better get in there and save her… again._

He pulled Gaeto off of her and she scrambled out from under him grabbing the pistol and turning around at the both of them. She was wild. Her eyes were on fire with the same hatred she had the first night he saw her. He raised his assault rifle and pointed it at her. _Got to stay in character._

"Put down your weapon, now, or I will shoot." He ordered to her.

"Screw you." She was glaring at him. Her eyes locked on his grabbing into the depths of his soul. "This fucker is trying to kill me." She turned her gun on Gaeto. They were both pointing their guns at her, but neither fired.

_I know he wants you dead. Trust me, I know._

"I said put the gun down. No one is going to hurt you." He started to lower his weapon. _Come on woman, work with me. I don't do standoffs._

"Bullshit. He's been trying to kill me for days now at least. I'm sorry, but one of us or all of us is going to end up dead today." She took another couple steps backwards, never taking her eyes off the two turians. _It doesn't have to end this way. I can't keep him from firing forever_. He shut his eyes and exhaled. _Damn stubborn, this one._

"Sir, let's just end this. We don't need her really, do we?" The turian asked.

He looked at Gaeto realizing that he was running out of time. _Think man, think._

"They want her alive." He told Gaeto.

"Well then if it's not going to be me to die today…" She fired three shots at Gaeto hitting him in the legs. He grabbed at Commander Vakarian who shook his grip away. He looked at him and Gaeto looked up at him realizing what was going on. _Cover blown, damn it_. She turned and ran again. When she didn't stop he fired into the air to get her attention. She skid to a stop and looked at him.

"I said stop." He demanded. He was so fixated on her, that he didn't realize Gaeto point his gun at him and pull the trigger. The pain was instantaneous and he let out a roar that was more from fury than actual pain. He fell to the ground feeling the blood flow from his wound. His mind was a blood haze. _Shit. Mission failure. _Further off he heard gunshots. Gaeto spilled blood and the shooting got louder and closer. Gaeto fell backwards gurgling something to him. It was incoherent through the blood bubbling from his mouth. His mind swirled and he blacked out.

Two more gunshots followed and it snapped him back into the moment. He rolled to his side to try and get up. The pain radiated through his body. He couldn't get up the position he was laying in wouldn't allow for it. He rolled on to his back and looked up toward the skies. He saw a shimmer of flesh come towards him. He refocused his eyes and followed the appendage to a hand held out to him. He looked up at her. _Take her hand you fool. She obviously trusts you enough to offer assistance. _He grabbed her hand and pulled her down on top of him. A sick joke, but it worked. She was there, he was there, the threat was over, and they were alone on a very foreboding planet. _Success. _She hefted herself on to her hands and looked down at him_._

"Come on; let's go you need to get up." She snapped at him.

"I can't with you laying on top of me, Commander." He smirked at her as he chuckled. The throbbing from his wound stopped him from enjoy his fun. _Nice comeback._

"Commander? How do you-? Nevermind, we'll deal with that later." She shook her head and got up. She dusted the sand from her hands it fell on to him and tapped his armor. She was right though, he was going to have to tell her everything eventually. He rolled to his other side and stood up with her help. They headed back towards the tunnel. Dusk was upon them and the moon was coming out lighting the ground in front of them.

He couldn't say anything to her. He didn't know what to say or even where to begin. She kept carrying him down the long flight of stairs. It was a slow process. He was slowly slipping in and out of consciousness by the time they got to the bottom of the stairs. _Hold it together. Hold it together. _He looked over his shoulder as they neared the comm room on the floor laid the young turian. The blood had dried around him. He was in sensory overload when Nevara opened the door. He shut down, what was he going to say when he got back?_ I'll figure it out later._

Something awoke him from his sleep_. Jostling? Tugging? Is that what that is_? He looked up at her and he jumped back. When he could see her again, she was standing at his head. _Way to be creepy, for the second time._

"Having a problem?" He asked propping himself up on his elbows to get a better angle on the situation.

"I thought you were out? And yes I am, to be honest." She replied crossing her arms. Her posture was defensive, almost like she didn't want to admit to anything.

"Checking on me?" He implored her.

"You could say that." She answered back.

"Are you always this vague?"

"When the moment strikes me." A little smile crept across her face.

He sighed and looked up at her. Her eyes told the story of her tribulations and her concern wasn't easy to hide. The best he could do was oblige her unsaid request. He pulled the armor off with ease and sat it next to him. He looked at her and sighed again as he laid down on the floor.

"Alright then, this shouldn't be too hard." She sat down next to him and grabbed his wrist.

He looked at her with shock and went to say something in response to the idea of being handcuffed. _What are you doing, Commander? _He relaxed and didn't move. He felt her hands move around his abdomen as she inspected the damage done by the bullet. He turned his head to look at her. She was deep in thought and her hazel eyes were intense; piercing through the already damaged body suit. His breathing became slow and shallow. He closed his eyes and let his mind wander. When he realized she was gone he opened his eyes again. He saw her walking back into the room. Her hands were fisted around some shiny objects.

"What do you got there?" He asked.

"Oh, you know, a little of this and a little of that. Now hold still." She insisted, quickly in one breath. _Haven't I been holding still_? He closed his eyes again and heard her breathing in slow repetitions and the feel of cold steel running along his plates and cutting away the top of his body._ Oh, Spirits, Spirits, help me._

_He opened his eyes again when he felt her move away from him again. _

"Where's my omni-tool?"

"In the drawer in my room." He answered, falling asleep. There wasn't much he could do from this stand point. He closed his eyes again and pictured her on top of him again. The look she gave him was priceless. _Irritated but priceless. _He grinned a little grin before exhaustion enveloped him in shallow slumber.


	5. Chapter 5

0700 Zulu 10.12.2183

Nevara walked into the comm room refreshed and perky. Her hair was damp from her shower and her skin glowed after cleansing the grit and dirt off. Her hair was swept up and clipped in place leaving chunky locks that framed her face. She looked at the floor and saw the boots of her new captive lying on the floor beside him. She listened for a minute and chuckled as quietly as she could. _Is that… snoring?_ She closed the door behind her as if not to wake her now sleeping hostage. She cupped her hand over her mouth and laughed at the notion of a turian snoring. She walked up to him, dropping his omni-tool next to him before making her way to the chair next to the wall. _Let the games begin._

She flicked the lighter in her hand off and on extinguishing the flame as soon as it lit. _Click, click, click. _She adjusted her weight in the chair trying to maintain a level of comfort that was far exceeding its limitations. She reached into the bottom left pocket of her jump suit that she'd found in Commander Vakarian's room the night before. They had brought all her stuff with them. Shampoo, hair clips, her watch she liked when she was in class As, her jumpsuit. Some of the stuff wasn't hers, like the two cartons of Djarum Blacks. She'd quit smoking six months before that but finding the cloven smell all over the room. Her resistance failed and she lit one. Letting it fill her and making her dizzy.

Now she sat in a black room waiting for the snoring turian to wake up. She kept flicking the lighter becoming annoyed at how long it was taking him to stir. She looked at her watch _0730_. Nevara dropped her arm and continued listening for movement. Eventually she heard the metallic song of metal scraping metal. She looked in the direction from where the sound came from. The blue light of Commander Vakarian's eye piece glimmered in the wallowing void that was this prison. She tip-toed right behind him listening to him mumble about how he was going to get her if he got out of there.

"How are you feeling today?" She asked stifling a laugh.

He turned towards her voice and muttered "I don't understand."

She dialed in the frequency of his translator as she stepped away from him, trying to keep herself out of his reach.

"How are you feeling today?" She asked again enjoying the little bit of torture she was exerting on him. She circled around him and he sat there looking at the floor_- puzzled possibly if I could see his face._

"Funny, I see you left me cuffed all night."

"Answer my question. How are you feeling today?" Nevara snapped as she leaned her back against the wall facing him.

"Alright, if you want to do it that way, fine. I'm good." Commander Vakarian stood up in the dark never taking his eyes off her. "How did you sleep, Commander Shepard?"

"Cut the bullshit, Vakarian. Tell me what the fuck is going on here." She demanded lighting a cigarette and taking a long drag on it.

"I thought you quit." Commander Vakarian avoided answering the question and watched as the red cherry on the end of her cigarette would brighten then dim again.

"Quit pussyfooting around what I want."

"What do you want then?" He asked prodding her.

Nevara pushed herself off the wall and started towards the turian not knowing he was watching her back the entire time.

"I told you already. I don't repeat myself." She started towards the door in utter frustration of the turian mocking her.

"Well that's too bad. My turn now." He reached out and grabbed the collar of her jumpsuit and pulled her into him. His arm draped over her shoulder and across her chest pinning her to him while he bent down and whispered. "I'm here for you of course." He loosened his grip on her and she spun on him looking up at him.

"Why? How? What do you know about me?" Her interrogation skills were failing and now it seemed that the turian had the upper hand.

Commander Vakarian cleared his throat and smiled into the darkness as an idea flashed into his mind. "Quid pro quo, my dear Commander."

"What is this? Silence of the Lambs? No, I don't think so."

"What is that?" He was taken aback by the confusion caused by her question.

"It doesn't matter right now. I get what I want and you get what you want? It depends on what it is you want." She stepped away from him trying to keep him from grabbing her again. _If he does that again, elbow him in the tender spot._

"Something like that. I'll tell you something about why I am here and you uncuff me."

There was silence again in the room. Nevara looked at the floor trying to find her feet. She looked back at him for a long time mulling over the notion of letting him go. As far as she was concerned, they were even, injury-wise, but he wasn't locked in this damned room for as long as she was.

"If, and I stress the 'if', I get what I want out of you and I am satisfied; I'll let you go. Deal?" Nevara took the gamble and was praying it paid off.

There was more silence and another rattle from the cuff.

"It'll do." He agreed and sniffed the air filling his senses with her smell.

"Okay. How do you know me?" She pressed, pulling a chair up to watch him.

"I read your file Commander. I've got it memorized word for word."

"Really now. Why would the turian military have a file on me?"

"It's not the turian military that has it."

"Who has it then?"

"An interested party wanting to see the end of this 'police action' by the turians."

"Are you always this vague?" She jabbed back at him.

"When the moment suits me." He snorted.

"That might be why you know me, but how did you find me?"

"There are people within your Alliance that are working with a group of turian officials behind the Primarchs' backs. This supposed 'scouting mission' you were sent on was to be where we could talk to you and ask for your assistance."

"So I'm just supposed to work behind the scenes to end a war?"

"I guess you could say that, but the details weren't for me to give you. My job was just to make sure you knew what was up."

"I see." Nevara hated the idea of working the lines between military officer and saboteur. "Well then what about you? What's your story?"

"I specifically asked for this assignment."

"Why?"

"I just did." Commander Vakarian answered. Nevara shook her head and started back towards the door.

"I thought we had a deal."

"It wasn't good enough." She called over her shoulder through clenched teeth. "I'll be back in an hour." She walked out of the room leaving Commander Vakarian spouting various profanities at her.

_One hour later_

The racket from within the room had stopped and she poked her head in the door. She flicked the lights on. Commander Vakarian was sitting on the floor looking at the knots of the sutures she'd put in the night before. She cleared her throat waiting for him to acknowledge her. He looked up at her with no expression on his face. She came into the room and sat in the chair again putting her head in her hands.

"Look, I don't mean to be a bitch about this, but you realize what you had me go through was fucked up to say the least." She explained.

"I wasn't happy with the situation either, but it had to be done that way."

"Why?" She spit out, her throat clenching restraining her voice from cracking.

He got up on his knees making him eye to eye with her. He touched her chin to make her look at him.

"I knew you could handle it. You are the strongest person I know. Even from your file, to watching how you took Gaeto's beating without backing down. I knew okay. Sorry."

"Sorry isn't good enough in this case." She glared at him with enough contempt to pierce a hole in him.

"I understand that it isn't good enough for you. It wouldn't be for me, if the roles were reversed. I had to stay in control or blow my cover. Why do you think I stayed in here those nights? Or give you your items without you asking?"

"Manipulation. Control. I could think of a dozen reasons why you'd do it." Her gaze never left him. His face was remorseful and his eyes screamed of regret.

"I understand." He looked away from her towards the cuff restraining him to the pole. "I was protecting you from Lieutenant Gaeto. The failed assassination that started this whole escapade was perpetrated on his father. He was more than willing to kill you just for being human."

"That doesn't explain what he was here for. Did you bring him?" She questioned not believe the turian now sitting in the middle of the floor.

"Yes and no, I was assigned to get in contact with you. It was just a fluke that all the pieces fell the way they did. I was supposed to speak with you, but he was assigned already to patrol this area. The batarians screwed that plan up I guess. We weren't supposed to see you for another couple of days. "

"I see." She was blank. There was no expression on her face.

"I know that this is all sudden, but an Alliance vessel is supposed to be picking you up in two days. They know what's been going on. I'll return back to my unit and will wait for a response from you."

"So then what, I'm supposed to just leave you here? When are you supposed to be picked up? Where are they picking me up from?"

"I'll fly you a mile or so from your extraction point near where you fought the batarians. I'll then go about doing what I was meant to do."

"Which is?"

"Command. Interfere and end this conflict."

"I'll need time to process this and I'll be back in a little while. In that time, I'll bring you something to eat and a change of clothes." She eyed the shirtless turian in front of her.

He looked down at his exposed upper body. Scars that scratched across his plates and the firm musculature that pressed through his skin. He looked back at her and smiled sheepishly. He'd completely forgotten that he was nude from the waist up. She didn't reciprocate his response to her comment.

Nevara turned on her heels to leave. Before she broke the threshold, she looked him over again and rolled her eyes in bemusement. She left the door open this time. Her thoughts were elsewhere and clouding her mind from the obvious. _Another set up._ _If they'd just told me what the hell was going on I'd of complied, but this is ludicrous. _

1000 Zulu 10.12.2183

Nevara walked back into the room holding a water bottle, MRE and BDUs. Commander Vakarian took them from her thanking her as he did it. His finger brushed the top of her hand in a fleeting attempt to get her attention again. She was armed now though, carrying her sidearm on her hip. Funny business was not the name of the game and she just wanted the next couple of days to be over. She said nothing to him as she bent over him and checked the loop of metal around Commander Vakarian's wrist.

"When are you supposed to contact the military again?" She turned her head to face him. When she looked he was staring at her. She couldn't take her eyes off his. They were penetrating and captivating. She became flustered at the silence and all the thoughts that she had faded away.

"Noon." His voice broke her concentration and she jumped at his response.

Nevara looked at her watch_. He can handle being locked up for a couple more hours. He better not be fucking with me. _

"Alright, I'll see you in about two hours. I want to see the file that they gave you. Consider it a sign of good faith on your part."

"It's all on my ship. I'll show it to you after I have my meeting. If I don't have this meeting… well if you thought that these last few days were bad, then-." He couldn't bring himself to finish his thought. She understood though where he was going with it. _We both would be screwed_.

"Gotcha. We'd both have hellfire raining down on us." She smiled, biting her lip. She pulled herself to standing half expecting the turian to grab at her again. When he didn't she walked out of the room again without looking at him.

She walked into the commanding officer's quarters and sat at the desk. She grabbed her pack of cigarettes from her pocket and put a cigarette to her lips. The sweet spice filled her nostrils as she lit it. She grabbed her handgun and set it on the desk in front of her staring at it for what felt like an eternity. Piece by piece she took it apart. She was diligent in the maintenance of her firearm. She worked in reverse putting the pieces back together like a puzzle. She cocked it and put it back at her side. She looked at her watch again- _1130_. She got up from the chair to unlock her hostage.

When she walked into the room Commander Vakarian was standing there; ready for her to release him from his bindings. He didn't have to say anything his posture said it all. He wasn't going to do anything to jeopardize the trust he'd been trying to build since they met.

"Are you ready?"

"Only if you are then I am."

She walked up to the turian without looking at him. She never looked at him. She didn't want to get lost in his eyes again. Her focus was exerted on the lock to the cuff. Her hands shook as she inserted the key. _Keep it together, Nevara._ The cuff fell away freely and slid down the pole, resonating all the way to the floor. Nevara looked then at Commander Vakarian and pushed him towards the door.

"Let's get on with this. If you do anything stupid, the safety is off." She warned, pointing to her sidearm. His eyes followed her gesture. He looked at her with perpetrating looks. She knew what he was doing and shoved him again. "Go."

Commander Vakarian nodded in acceptance. The last thing he needed was for her to shoot him. They walked in silence. The tension between them was thick. His boots thudded the steps like thunder, while hers tapped the stairs in close succession. She took her hand off his back and stopped. He turned and looked at her questioning her for pausing.

"What are you going to tell them?"

"Another couple of days. That's all I can tell them."

"If they don't believe you, what then?"

"It'll be a couple of days regardless before someone can get here. We're a little out of the way of what is a normal patrol route."

Nevara nodded her approval. "You haven't told them about me, have you?"

"No. I've been in communication with the resistance though. They know that I've made contact with you."

"Well let's get this over with." She spoke looking at the top of the stairs. They were close to the top. The heat was slowly seeping in and she could feel it drying her eyes. They returned to the normal silence between them.

When they finally made it to the vessel, the signal from the console was already beeping. Commander Vakarian rushed inside and pressed the panel. Nevara pulled her gun and pointed it at him. He understood what she was saying. She didn't trust him completely.

"I'm sorry sir. There was a bit of an issue that had to be attended to first."

"What issue?"

"Nothing serious sir. Just a minor setback. We've fixed that and are about to test out systems."

"You haven't sent in your report today."

Commander Vakarian looked at Nevara, stunned by his absentmindedness. He didn't know what to say next. Nevara shrugged and looked at her watch again.

"Command, the minor setback erased the file as I was uploading." He sighed out the answer. There was a long pause before the voice came over the console again.

"Send it when we talk to you again."

"Aye, aye, sir." He clicked the console off. He turned around to say something to Nevara when the console beeped a second time. He held up his finger to hold his thought and tapped the console on again.

"Commander, how's Commander Shepard today?"

"She's fine. I've talked to her."

"Really? Has she accepted?"

"She's still undecided." He looked at her again. She was leaning in the doorway rubbing her eyes. When she realized that he was looking at her, she pointed at the console and turned her back.

"Undecided? You need to convince her. We've already reported that we have her to our counterparts in the Alliance. They'll be there in two days whether she's on board or not."

"I understand sir."

"We won't expect to hear from you till her pick up."

"Understood sir."

"Very well. Keep up the good work."

"Thank you sir." Commander Vakarian clicked the panel and stood up. Nevara never turned around she just looked outside. He grabbed the datapad with her file on it and walked up behind her. He put his hand on her shoulder and slid the file in front of her. She took it from him and started back to the entrance to the listening post. Her red hair was like fire in the sun. Her milky white skin shimmered with tiny beads of perspiration.

She looked at the datapad finally as they reached the bottom of the stairs. _Lieutenant Commander Nevara Adianna Shepard. Sounds like a fairy tale character_. She smiled at the notion of living in a fairy tale. The hell of her life reminded her of a tragic story she'd read when she was in boot camp. As she scanned the document, she realized that her whole life was laid out in front of her. No immediate family, never married, the Akuze mission, and other sundry missions she'd been on. Last on the list of assignments in bold letters read "Garrison Commander for Mindoir."

She'd been pulled off that post just before the second attack by the turians. She'd argued with her commanding officer to try and stay, but the only answer she got was that she was reassigned. She fumed now and walked into the commanding officer's quarters without saying a word to Commander Vakarian.

He watched her from the stairs as she read the datapad. He couldn't tell her that it was him that was in command on the attack on Mindoir. She'd kill him, he knew that for sure. He walked past her to get to the communications room so he could be hooked up again. Commander Vakarian waited for her, but she never came. The only thing he heard was the door shutting behind her.

Alone with his thoughts finally, he walked back out of the room and stood at the door. There was no noise. He walked into the next room to lie down. His head throbbed with swimming thoughts about her. He'd talk to her tomorrow about the job he had for her. The best he could do was just answer her questions as they came. They did have two days together. He was going to make it as painless for her as possible. He clicked the light off and closed his eyes. _Another night with her feet from me_. He yawned and rolled over on to his side before fading off into the recesses of his mind.


	6. Chapter 6

_2300 Zulu 10.12.2183_

Running, bare feet slapping pavement, panting till her mouth was dry, Nevara's senses heightened. Torrents of rain fell over her. She was drenched and chilled to the bone; shaking from fear or cold or a combination of both. Her clothes tattered and torn fluttered in the wind. Lightning flashes laid the scene of destruction before she entered the center of the settlement. Corpses lay strewn on the paths of the ramshackle city.

Thunder rolled through the air crackling to its crescendo, shattering the din of snapping wood and the sizzle of raindrops hitting burning embers. Her heart was racing like a hummingbird's._ I need to get home__. _Nothing looked the same anymore. The cheery life she'd once known was gone in the blink of a few hours. Innocence was gone, stolen from her by batarian slavers that had come and devastated the little city.

She looked up to the sky like it was an ill omen, praying that it would end. Her home was far from the settlement. In the darkness it looked like an eternity. She started her run again, keeping her composure in check. If she cried she'd be winded faster. Her feet throbbed, shredded and bleeding from debris and shards of glass the littered the ground. Puddles of rainwater were diluted with blood turning the water pink. It splashed to her knees as she ran through.

She was still running when she looked behind her seeing how far she'd come. Nevara had made it to the halfway point of her trek. She turned back to face her destination, but in the dark she didn't see the obstruction in the path in front of her. She tripped falling to her hands and knees. Nevara turned over and looked to find what she'd stumbled over. Lightning gave way to the dead eyes of a corpse staring back at her. The face contorted into a look of horror_. __Oh my…_

She scrambled to her feet in terror. She couldn't look anymore. She raced home sobbing. Her only safety net and escape from the fearful nightmares that seemed to chase her with every step. The numbing pain of reality hit her hard when she reached the knoll overlooking the valley where she resided. The smell of smoke and burnt flesh rode on the wind casting a sickening net over Nevara. It was a smell that would linger in her thoughts forever. The thunder rolled again louder shaking the ground she stood on…

Rumbling from beneath the packed dirt paced her platoon. Blood curdling screams filled the air. One by one men fell; sucked beneath the earth. Falling back to the drop point was the only logical choice. Gunfire erupted as the wormlike monster grew from the ground showering the marines with rocks and gravel. Some stood their ground, sacrificing themselves so that the others had a chance of survival.

Nevara and a group of three had bunkered down laying down cover fire. They had come out of nowhere. There really wasn't any place to hide. She looked to the left of her at a well built man with the darkest brown eyes she'd ever seen call over the comm for extraction.

"We have casualties! We need extraction now! Repeat, we need extraction now!"

"Wilkins! Get down!" Nevara yelled throwing him to the ground.

Xavier Wilkins was one of Nevara's closest friends in officer training school. They both were stubborn and neither one backed down from a fight. He was always right there with her. No one saw one without the other being nearby. His black eyes were able to melt down her defenses with a glance. Nevara would never admit to anyone, not even herself, how much she'd loved him. Their first night together was an awkward exchange of glances in the officer's club which turned into a fumbling attempt at enrapture. He was the first, if not only, guy to look at her more than a tomboy but as a woman.

Now here they were, staring each other down. The person on her right, screamed acid had landed on the person on the other end splashing the young woman on the face.

"Damn it, Shepard. You need to get the hell out of here!" Xavier yelled.

"No, we need to get out of here." She corrected him.

She grabbed him by the collar and they sprinted towards the extraction point. Their boots caked with blood red clay from fallen comrades.

"Alpha Team we have found your location. The coordinates are being sent to your omni-tools for pick up."

They looked at each other again and looked at their omni-tools. It was a half of a mile from their current location. Xavier stopped dead looking at Nevara. She skid to a stop and waved him on.

"Come on, we're almost there." She pleaded.

"No Nevara. You go." He ordered looking back at the wave of earth coming towards them.

"Are you fucking nuts?" She screamed.

"No, I just need you to survive. Whether I die or not is inconsequential. You though are meant to go on." Xavier answered apologizing with his eyes. He dropped his pack and pulled his side arm. "Go, Shepard!"

Nevara turned tail and kept running as she heard the earth breaking behind her and Xavier scream "I'm sorry." Which was then punctuated by a single gunshot_. Damn it. __It's happening again__. _She glanced over her shoulder to watch the aftermath of her lover being dragged beneath the depths of the sand.

It wasn't in her to cry anymore. She'd shed so many tears for the dead that she didn't have it in her anymore. Her feelings were her personal downfall at every turn in her life. The shaking stopped but she kept moving. She hated this mission, hated being in hell. That hate fueled her, made her keep going till she got to the drop point.

When she got there, there was no one else there. It was a familiar scene, the Alliance coming to save her again. She'd mourn the dead later and alone. Another familiar promise ran through her mind as the shuttle came to get her._ I'll survive because you made me do so, no matter what the circumstances are. I owe you that much. _

She sat there alone in the shuttle all accept for the pilot who was focused on communicating with the ship in orbit. Finally the tears fell. Her body quivered with sadness. Everything just flowed from her like the water falling from her eyes. Finally the pilot turned to her. He stared at her for a long while before asking if she was okay. Nevara never answered. She hung her head back against the seat looking at the roof of the shuttle.

"Shepard, you alright?"

It reverberated in her ears fading into the din of her night terrors. The ebb and flow of voices and the repetition of the question stirred her.

"Shepard, are you alright?" Commander Vakarian asked sitting at the edge of her bed.

"What's going on? What time is it?" She asked rubbing sleep from her eyes. The tears she'd shed in dream had become a reality on her pillow.

"0200. Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Did I wake you?" She yawned sitting up in bed. It was still dark in the room. Commander Vakarian hadn't bothered turning the lights on. The only light came from his display.

"Yeah. I heard you."

"Damn. I'm sorry."

Commander Vakarian placed his hand on her leg and patted it. He knew the kind of dreams she was having. If he'd have lived the life she'd had he'd have had haunting nightmares like that too.

Nevara leaned to turn on the light but Commander Vakarian squeezing her thigh gently made her stop.

"What? What's wrong?" She asked staring at him.

"Nothing's wrong. You should probably just try to go back to sleep."

"I'm going to get a drink of water." She rolled out of bed in nothing but a tank top and black panties. Nevara walked to the desk and grabbed a cigarette and tapped it on the tabletop before putting it between her lips. She lit it taking a slow, long drag off of it before walking out of the room.

Commander Vakarian was right behind her watching every step she made in the dark. Her bare feet on the concrete floor made tiny little slapping sounds that moved away from him, stopped, and then started back in his direction. He went to move out of her way, but she wasn't paying attention. She was lost in her thoughts trying to shake the screaming that still lingered in her ears. She walked head long into him dropping the bottle of water sending it spilling all over her tank top.

"Fuck. I'm sorry." Nevara apologized picking up the bottle from the floor.

"No worries. I'm dry." He smiled.

"Well I can't say the same for myself." She said pulling the front of her top away from her.

She continued passed him pulling the shirt over her head as she walked over to a pile of her clothes. He couldn't take her eyes off of her. Even in the darkness she had shown like a beacon that made him move towards her. She was like a flame and he was the moth more than willing to die to be near her. Temptation taunted him. A war of emotions of what he was supposed to do and what he wanted to do rolled through him.

"You know hormones can be a dangerous thing?" Nevara accused him never looking at him but knew his presence was still there.

"I have no idea what you are talking about." Commander Vakarian stifled a grin.

"Don't play dumb with me. What do you want?" She probed. It was all rhetorical, but she wanted to hear the words. Five days had come and gone and in the last two she'd noticed certain eccentricities about the turian roommate. The way he looked at her was endearing.

"Nothing really." He finally answered after a long pause.

"Oh, then maybe I was wrong about you." She commented pulling the new shirt over her head and sitting on the bed.

"What do you mean?" He posed at her. His curiosity was peaked. He sat by her taking in the scents of the little human sitting beside him. She smelled of sweat and cloves.

"Nothing, nevermind. Forget I asked." Nevara answered back waving off her previous assumptions.

If he was going to make a move now was the time to take it. He leaned in close to her and inhaled her scent. He brushed her hair out of the way with one finger and nudged his way into the nape of her neck.

She shuddered at his breath on her skin and tilted her head to the side inviting him to explore more. His fingers walked up her spine making her shudder._ What am I doing? This shouldn't be happening__. _Her mind was racing with doubt, her body was the willing participant urging for more. She hadn't been touched in an intimate way in so long and she wanted it, willing it to continue.

She laid down trying to assuage her feelings. This was just sex. There wasn't anything behind it. Giving her heart to one person already ended in their death, _why risk it again__? _He followed suit, lying beside her, placing his hand on her stomach. Commander Vakarian looked down at her. In the din of the room he searched for a response to his touch.

Nevara closed her eyes as she felt him slowly caress one side of her ribs to her waist. He stopped and she opened her eyes again, looking back at him with wonder.

"We don't have to do this, you know." He told her, squeezing the bony protrusion of her hip.

Nevara nodded and closed her eyes again rolling towards him, breathing him in. The sweet metallic smell filled her as his hands crept under her shirt. The roughness of his hands on her smooth skin stippled the fine hairs and made her gasp in silence. _How I ended up going from prisoner to intimate is beyond me._

Every touch was a titillating sensation. She rolled back over with his hands tracing her contours. She reached up to pull him closer to her. He obliged following her pull. Face to face in the dark, her sensory perception took hold making her feel like a hunter looking for her prey. His breath intermingled with hers giving her her target. He wrapped the arm he was leaning on under her head propping it up as he closed in on her.

His other hand caressed her face rubbing his rough digit across her lips exploring the different textures of her skin. She licked her lips and he went in for the kill tasting her moistened lips. It was a strange feeling to say the least. Her little tongue penetrated his mouth causing him to groan at the intrusion. It was a satisfactory response because he responded in like. His hands were continued to roam her frame as one of his fingers cut away the top she was wearing.

She protested with a sigh. Her thoughts danced in her head as he slowly removed the final articles of clothing separating them. He placed himself between her thighs feeling the cool skin kiss his. If there ever was a time to quit while they were ahead, now was it. She couldn't stop it if she wanted to. Nevara's eyes rolled as he started to insert himself. Pain overwhelmed her as her body tried to accommodate his girth.

It was a slow process that made her moan in her throat. Every noise she made caused him to stop. She reassured him to continue feeling her body give way to enrapture. The pace was slow, building and ebbing like the crash of waves on a beach. He growled as she enveloped him. He buried his head into her shoulder bathing it in saliva that dripped from his lips. When everything was comfortable for both parties, they proceeded with their dance in the dark.

Nevara's hands explored his back feeling the smooth skin between sharp plates. The smell of him consumed her. His pace would quicken and subside sending her muscles into spasm. She'd rock her hips to meet his and could feel her muscles clench down around him causing her moaning to become more of a gasp for more.

She could feel the pulsing within her. His breath was ragged and his rhythm changed. He held her close biting down of her shoulder sending a shattering pain through to her back. She choked back a cry feeling the climax coming upon them quickly. She met his pacing, feeling him holding back, trying to keep from losing control. Nevara worked him hard making his groan turn to a growl. This was nothing more than a battle for control in the empty confines of the room.

Her mind swam, hypoxia set in from her rapid breathing. Her muscles were on the verge of giving way when he sat up grabbing her hips and slamming into her as deep as he could into her. Filling her with him. Her eyes welled with tears from pain and shock. His talons dug into her hips piercing the skin.

His one last recourse sent him into a low guttural growl as he fell on top of her. Out of breath and in complete muscle failure, he laid next to her. Nevara caught her breath faster than him and rolled away from him pulling the sheet up over her. _This didn't just happen did it? It's a dream. It has to be._ She laid there in silence listening to the turian gain composure again. He draped his arm over her waist and buried his face into her hair.

"Are you alright? Did I hurt you?" He whispered into her ear.

"No I'm alright." Nevara assured him resting her arm on his.

He laid his head back down feeling her breathing turn shallow as she drifted back to sleep. He smiled to himself. His little fantasy fulfilled. She was his for those couple of days. An idea that made him smile again.

1100 Zulu 11.12.2183

Nevara stirred from sleep. She looked behind her to see if the interlude had actually happened. She was alone in the bed. Her shoulders and hips throbbed as she sat up. Little droplets of blood stained the white sheets_. __Oh hell__. _She grabbed her panties and slid them on being careful not to bump the raw cuts in her skin. Pulling her BDUs on and walking out of the room, she looked from one end of the hallway to the other. There was a deep silence. She looked in the room next door but Commander Vakarian wasn't there. She scoured the rooms looking for him. She pulled her boots on and made her way to the stairs. Her muscles screamed and the fabric scraped her wounds. She shrugged it off keeping her pace to see where he was.

Reaching the top of the stairs she heard a gunshot, then another. Her pace quickened. The racket continued to grow as she followed it. She rounded the corner and made way in the direction of the small vessel parked nearby. Commander Vakarian was nearby firing his gun into the sand. She stopped to watch what he was doing. He had no idea she was there.

"Hey." Nevara finally said, announcing her presence to him.

"Commander. Did you sleep well?" He asked looking at how disheveled she looked.

"You could say that. How about you?"

"Never better." He smiled at her. He looked back at the sand and fired another shot into the sand.

"Why are you doing that?"

"I was waiting for you to wake up. I didn't think that you would mind." Commander Vakarian stated, placing his gun back at his side.

"I appreciate it." Nevara said while stretching. "Are you ready to go in with me now?"

"Of course. Whatever you need from me, you can have."

Nevara shook her head realizing his intentions.

"I just want to talk to you is all. I want to hear about this 'task' that is to be assigned to me."

"Whatever questions you have I'll be willing to answer."

They walked back together exchanging glances every once in a while. He looked at her adoringly as she tried to keep in step with him. Her little legs were in double time with his simple stride. His body tingled with excitement with the flashes of their givings.

Nevara sat in a kitchen; rotating her shoulder. Commander Vakarian eyed her discomfort and walked behind her.

"Let me take a look." He asked.

"I'm fine." Nevara retorted.

Commander Vakarian placed his hand on her shoulder and she winced, pulling away from him.

"That doesn't sound like you are fine. Let me look. Please."

"Will it get you off my back?"

"It might."

Nevara looked up at him and stared. _He's just not going to drop it_. His eyes were on her as she unbuttoned the top couple of buttons of her jacket. She let it slide midway down her arm, exposing her shoulder to the air.

"We need to take care of that."

"What? What's wrong?" She couldn't see the two sets of perfectly set puncture wounds around her shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I bit you."

"You did what?"

"I bit you."

Nevara laughed out loud forgetting that he'd chomped on her that morning.

"Are there any other places that I should know about?"

"Well if you need to know my hips are killing me."

"Well then let me look."

Nevara unbuttoned her pants and slid her panties down showing her lower back and the sore areas of her back. Commander Vakarian kneeled down and looked running his hand down her back seeing the six red holes in her back.

"We'll take care of that too." He stated grabbing her by the hand and leading her into her quarters. "Strip and lay on the bed. I'll be back." He headed out of the room.

"Are you serious?" Nevara mumbled under her breath as she disrobed and lay on the bed. She pulled the sheet over her. _I need a little bit of decency at least_.

She heard him nearing the room. Glass bottles jingled against each other as he sat them on the table near the bed. He pulled the sheet down exposing her entire back to him. He folded it neatly over her backside. Nevara looked at him as he examined in more detail her wounds.

"What's that mean?" He asked poking at her right shoulder.

"What? The tattoo?" She asked back.

"Yeah. What's it mean?"

"Qua resurget ex favilla, judicandus homo reus. When from the ashes shall rise, guilty man to be judged." She explained. Cold contact hit her skin making her skin tingle. "How bad is it?"

"Not too bad. Could be worse." He acknowledged her concern, by patting her butt.

"If you say so." Nevara shrugged.

"I do. If it's any consolation, I'd assume you'd do it again though. It looks no different than the rest of your scars."

"You assume wrong then." She spat_. Lies! You speak lies!_

"Ha! Is that a challenge?" He sneered; running his finger up her spine.

Nevara moaned again and edged her way to the foot of the bed. She liked the way it felt but she had to get away from it before she gave in to temptation again.

"This morning was a one-time thing."

"Do you really believe that?"

"No. I mean- yes. Quit fucking confusing me." Nevara jumped off the bed wrapping herself in the sheet. Her lips trembled as Commander Vakarian got to his feet and approached her. She took a step back and bumped into the wall_. __Hell. _

"Alright then, answer me this then. Why did you take this mission? No lies, I want the honest fucking truth."

Commander Vakarian stopped and crossed his arms. His eyes narrowed on hers. Her heart was racing. She needed the answer more for fact of their consummated actions. _It was just sex. A conquest at most. It has to be._

"I took the mission because I wanted to meet you. I'd heard of you before all this conflict. Your service record is impressive. You are enigmatic. You don't let anyone close to you. I wanted to be close to you. I needed to know you as more than the battle worn woman that everyone says you are." He explained, pausing for a second. "When I got the chance I took it."

"So you had a crush on me?"

"I'd think it as more a mutual respect. But if that's what you want to call it go ahead."

"So then what was this morning?"

"I needed to be that close to you."

"Why?"

"I can't explain it in words; just in action." Commander Vakarian walked up to her throwing his arms around her.

Nevara pushed away from him. Her eyes were warm and the turbulent storm that seemed to swell within them had calmed. Why was she feeling anything? He was the enemy. He was good to her. She understood by his actions that he cared about her. She smiled at him. Letting her arms embrace him back. It felt almost natural to her. Letting her emotions lead the way. It had been so long since she had done it._ Always with the mind, never with the heart._

"Now if you don't mind, sweet angel of the night. I'm going to kiss you." Commander Vakarian stated matter of factly.

"If that's what you want."

"It is. Believe me, it is."

He bent over kissing her on the forehead before flipping out the light again.

He carried her to the bed letting the sheet slip from her body. Her skin was so supple and smooth. He laid her on the bed with such care as not to damage the frame of the person he was going to make his. He laid next to her feeling the sinewy musculature of her thighs. He was hot for her. He needed her to be with him. _A couple of days are all I have; I'm going to make the most of it._

He unzipped himself from his uniform and mounted her making diligent actions not to hurt her. His body was begging for it. A dominating spirit filled him. He slid in to her. The textures within her made him swell inside her. She was viscous and raw. Her breast pressed against him as he started rocking in her. Each stroke caused Nevara to moan with excitement. She was moving under him resisting the urge to squeeze tight around him. He liked it when she did. Her body would convulse with orgasm milking his member in her.

His eyes locked on hers. He had to watch. It was the least he could do. Her eyes swept him away to a carnal place. He was slow letting every ripple within her be exposed to him. Her expressions and cries of ecstasy rang in his mind. She bit her lip as she moved with him sliding her hands down his hips to his thighs.

He wanted to fill her with him. Cause her to scream in delight. He was on the verge of his own climax. He bolstered himself on his hands and his motion became jagged. The finish line was in sight. Nevara was on the verge of screaming, Commander Vakarian's voice became a rumble before he lost control. He slammed her hard; feeling her clench around him.

"Oh god." Nevara gasped

"Nevara, my dear, Nevara." He whispered in to her ear before collapsing off to the side.

Her heartbeat was quickened by his voice. No one had called her by name in what felt like ages. It felt new to her. She burrowed her face into Commander Vakarian's chest and shed tears in silence. Her body quivered as he held her.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"Nothing."

"Hey, I'm right here."

"I know. It's just that, everything will be done and over within the next forty-eight hours."

"So enjoy what we have now."

Nevara nodded her head in agreement. It had been forever since anyone had treated her like a woman. It felt good to her. She closed her eyes picturing a time when the war would be over. It was warm feeling; she didn't have to fight anymore for a lost cause. A long sigh escaped from her lips as she burrowed her face back into Commander Vakarian's chest.

Commander Vakarian looked at Nevara. _If she finds out what I've done, these moments will have been wasted on me. She doesn't deserve that__._ He kissed the top of her head and smelled her sweet fragrance before closing his eyes and falling asleep next to her.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: This is turning out to be a trilogy. Look out for the sequal "Indefinite Schism" in the upcoming weeks.**

0430 Zulu 13.12.2183

Nevara stood in the doorway of her room watching the sleeping turian in her bed. She couldn't sleep; the day of her departure was at hand. Their whirlwind love affair was at an end. _I'll probably never see him again. _She was visceral and raw. She didn't want to leave, but she knew it had to play out the way it did. There were only a couple of hours left before they were supposed to prepare to leave. Her feelings had blindsided her. Leaving her once empty shell mourning to be cracked open. She lit the cigarette between her lips and dragged on it till it burned her throat.

Pain to her was the only emotion that made sense to her. _Everyone leaves, even if it's me that has to take the steps to go. _She'd accepted Commander Vakarian's offer the night before. If the end of the war meant that they could see each other off the field, she was willing to try it. He was only an intermediary. She'd be doing her dirty work within the Alliance. She continued watching him though. He snuggled in to the sheets a little deeper before settling again.

Nevara's ideas of what her life would be were not what she'd expected. The cold ice queen with defense mechanisms set to kill was how she saw herself. In hindsight, she was only protecting herself from the inevitable pain of losing someone close to her. She had friends, but nothing that she would deem as potential mates for life. She'd moved on from positions to posts so often that acquaintances was more to her liking. But now here she was, watching a sleeping body that brought back dead emotions and feelings.

She'd become so consumed with her thoughts that she'd forgot about the lit cigarette burning its way to her finger tips. The burning cherry popped sending a shower of hot embers onto her hand. She dropped the cigarette in instinct and stuck her burned finger into her mouth. She sucked it making her finger feel better. A faint metallic flavor still lingered on her skin. She looked at her watch. _Time is fleeting when lost in thought. Shit it's almost five._ She canceled the alarm on her watch and walked up to her alien lover.

She kneeled beside him stroking his fringe gently in an attempt to wake him. He purred gently before rolling to face her. He smiled at her as he stroked the side of her face with the back of his finger. Nevara kissed him on the bridge of his nose.

"What time is it?" Commander Vakarian cooed.

"Just about five." Nevara whispered.

"Today's the day, huh."

"Yeah, we need to start getting ready."

"How did you sleep?" He asked turning on the light.

"I haven't." She answered looking down at her fists.

Commander Vakarian grabbed her fists and squeezed them till they became lax again.

"Hey, it's not all that bad. There's nothing that says we won't see each other again."

"The odds are stacked though." She stated getting up from her knees and shaking his grip lose. "We need to start getting ready."

"I know."

Nevara walked out of the room to take a shower. The water was cold. Her body goose pimpled as it splashed on her. It was quick and it refreshed her mind. She slid down the tile on the verge of breakdown. She couldn't take the turmoil. She was divided. _Back to civilization, where I can on some level relate or go back and live in misery. _She stood up finally seeing that the answer was plain as day. Her life would be like she never met him_. _She grabbed the towel and dried herself and wrapped the towel around her before walking out of the small stall.

Commander Vakarian wasn't in the room. _Might as well get used to it. _She made her way to her room and dressed herself. It was a slow process for her. She laid it all on the bed: one layer of clothing, her secondary barrier and then her armor; _more defenses to keep people away_. It took some personal prodding to even get started. All her components and barriers slid on into interlocking pieces. It had been such a while since she'd worn it.

She walked out of the room with her helmet tucked under her arm. Commander Vakarian was waiting in the hallway and grabbed the helmet tracing his finger down the crack in it. He handed back to her followed by her weapons. Nevara felt so tiny, like a child fidgeting in her father's armor.

"Let's get going." Nevara said

"We still have time." Commander Vakarian told her, adjusting his armor.

Nevara checked her omni-tool again- _0600_. She nodded at him. She didn't want to go, but the pickup time was coming up quickly.

"We need to get going. If I have to walk part of the way it's probably best to just get this over with."

"No prolonging the inevitable?"

"No, this is hard enough as it is." She stated, adjusting the load on her back

"Well if you say so."

"I do." She choked out, before walking past him to get up to shuttle. There was nothing she really could say_. I don't want to go. Why? Why do you make me feel this way?_ She stomped up the stairs fuming about the last couple of days, when a voice called out from below her.

"Hey!" Commander Vakarian yelled up to her jogging to catch up. When he got to her, he grabbed her hands and sighed. They were so small in his, nicked and scratched from the previous couple of romps. "I don't want you to go. It's this damn war. It brings people together and tears others apart. Look at what's been going on here. I am the enemy of the enemy, but I'm here with you. I could have done anything I wanted to you, but you rolled the dice and took a chance; as did I. I'm not leaving this planet till I know you are safe and away from here. Do you understand?"

"How do I know that?"

"You've gambled this far in life, what's to say you can't do it a little bit more?"

Nevara smiled and kissed him on the cheek before continuing up the stairs. She was much more relaxed now. _His points are valid. Everything is a crap shoot._ They walked to the shuttle in silence. There was a stale breeze with undertones of decomposition in the air. They never went to get Lieutenant Gaeto. He was just left to rot. Commander Vakarian got into the front and Nevara sat in the back. She looked around the cabin of the ship and noticed all assortments of ordinance and weaponry. She walked to the console and typed a few lines on it and turned it off just as quickly. They had made it as far as he was going to take her.

"Well Commander, we've made it. Any last words?" He asked smiling.

"It's been fun-" Nevara snorted getting up and heading for the door.

They walked together for a ways. Commander Vakarian told her that he'd go to the next dune, but after that she was on her own.

"Well then, here. I don't need it." Nevara told him handing him her helmet.

He looked at it for awhile. It was an odd parting gift to give someone. She lit a cigarette as they walked. They ambled on together till they got to the sandy yellow dune. Nevara threw her arms around Commander Vakarian. It was probably the last time she would see him. He hugged her back running his fingers through her hair. She couldn't let him go. Her body wouldn't follow her commands.

"It's time hon." Commander Vakarian told her as he kissed the top of her head.

"I know, I know." She accepted the temporary defeat and started walking. In the distance she could see the bombed out Eldfell-Ashland mine and a shuttle landing. She turned back to look at Commander Vakarian. He waved slowly at her and stood. His face was sullen. Nevara didn't know if turians could cry- _a silly notion_- but if they could that's probably what it would looked like.

She turned back at the shuttle and three marines came out with guns drawn. She picked up her pace turning her meandering walk into a spirited jog. Nevara whistled and the three marines turned to her. It was a pleasant sight to be with others, but her thoughts lingered for the person standing out in the distance.

"Commander, it's good to see that you're alright." A black haired marine said saluting Nevara as a smile crossed his face.

"Good to see you too, Alenko. What have I missed?" Nevara responded as she dropped her pack.

"Nothing really, ma'am. We're still making our push on the front line, but we're at a stalemate at this point."

"Well, if that's the case, it's good to back." Nevara stood for a second before looking behind her towards the direction she'd come from. "Let's get out of here. I'm sure the captain wants to talk to me."

"Aye, aye ma'am." Lieutenant Alenko replied picking up her pack as they headed to the ship.

Nevara hesitated and checked her omni-tool. She dialed a few buttons in and got on to the ship. As it took off, she watched out the window. Commander Vakarian was nowhere to be seen. She sighed to herself regretful of going back to fight a futile cause. _If we do see each other again, it better be under better circumstances._

* * *

Commander Vakarian watched her getting smaller as she walked away. Her red hair radiated brightly in the early morning sun. It matched the din of dawn as the sun burned away the evening clouds. With every step she took, it looked like she was setting the sky ablaze. A plume of smoke wafted into the air and the breeze caught it sending it to him like a message. Its sultry foreign scents made him remember his evenings with her.

Her essence endowed him. He looked north of their location and saw the shuttle coming in. He looked back at her and she had stopped. _Oh, Spirits, she's got to go. Give me the strength to send her along._ He waved at her. His composure waning as he did it. She turned away from him and continued trudging through the sand. When he noticed the marines exit the shuttle he hit the ground and grabbed his scope to watch. _I'm going to watch her as much as I can, until there is nothing left._

They hadn't noticed him but they hadn't noticed her either. They were busy securing the perimeter. A shrill whistle came out and it echoed along the dunes. He kept watching as Nevara made contact with a tall male. _He's not bad looking. They would make a good match._ Commander Vakarian's heart sank deeper. It was unbearable for him to watch. Nevara looked right him. Like she knew he was still there. _Good-bye dear, Angel_. He kept watching for what felt like an eternity. The tall male grabbed Nevara's pack and he walked away to get into the shuttle. Nevara fumbled around with her omni-tool and walked onto the shuttle.

It killed him to see her go. _For the best, only for the best_. The shuttle fired up and slowly drifted through the clouds till there was nothing left to see. Commander Vakarian was alone with his thoughts. Her scent had finally dissipated, any ghost of her was now gone. He leapt from his prone position and slung his rifle back over his shoulder. Dusting his armor off he looked down at the cracked helmet that she'd given him. The sun had burned away the beautiful dawn and the warmth of it felt good on his skin.

He was empty though as he started walking back to the listening post. It felt like a death march. His heartbeat slow and diligent sank further as he walked back down the stairs._ It's time to shut down everything and move on_. He moved through the rooms erasing every existence of Nevara's presence. The sheets were removed from the bed. Blood of varying sizes and dimensions stained the spread. Everything that was bad and evil with the galaxy was diminished in the couple of hours he'd spent in that bed in their intimate moments. He shook off the memories and carried everything upstairs. Fire would destroy any remnants of their interludes. He set everything on fire and watched as the charred remains fluttered away by the breeze.

Commander Vakarian locked down the listening post before walking to his vessel. Tucked under his arm was Commander Shepard's helmet, which he tucked into his own pack for safe keeping. When he fired up the engines a familiar voice rang out from behind him.

"Commander Vakarian, I know I've known you for a few short days, but those days good and bad were the best that I've had. Be careful out there. One day, hopefully when this is all over, we'll see each other off the battlefield."

Commander Vakarian turned and walked over to the console. There she sat looking at him. The message repeated again and he was fixated on every word she said. He finally clicked off the console and resumed take off procedures. A return trip to turian space and a debriefing before his next assignment were the last thing he wanted to deal with.

_Damn this war. Damn it for bringing people together and tearing them apart. Damn my own sentimentality. Damn that woman for making me feel anything._

_**A/N: Indefinite Schism is up and going. Find out what happens in the sequel! Thanks for all the support! Hope you've enjoyed reading!**_


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